


Second Chances

by superherofan95



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-09-27 20:17:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 71,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10046600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superherofan95/pseuds/superherofan95
Summary: Riley Lewis had an average life before the S.T.A.R Labs explosion. When S.TA.R. Labs exploded and gave her abilities, her life became complicated. After discovering her boyfriend was cheating on her, she left him and started afresh. Barry Allen drops into her life and they form a friendship. M for language and some sexual content, but mostly language.





	1. Chapter 1

Life has its moments where it can bring a gift or bring a curse. Sometimes a gift can be a curse. Sometimes a curse can be a gift. Either way, they change our lives. Mine began a little over a year ago. That night was supposed to be a triumphant victory in the field of science for S.T.A.R. Labs. Instead of changing history for the better, it changed the lives of many people.

Dr. Harrison Wells was the lead scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs. He had a vision to change everything in the world of physics, health, biology, chemistry, and evolution. He created the particle accelerator to make this vision of his into a reality. Wells hosted a press conference to turn the particle accelerator on. It was a huge success. Well, at first it was. Then something happened. No one knows the exact cause, but something in the accelerator had malfunctioned. The malfunction resulted in an explosion that killed seventeen people.

The apartment I live in is relatively close to S.T.A.R. Labs and I could see the explosion from my unit. It released something. I’m not quite sure what it was or how it happened, but it changed me. It might have changed others, too. My neighbor, Thalia Neilson, found me unconscious on the floor when she got home from work. She heard about the blast and wanted to make sure I was okay.

There wasn’t any serious damage apart from a nasty bruise from falling. Then a few days later, that’s when the weird started to happen. I started to hear voices. People were talking, but their mouths weren’t moving. I thought I was going crazy at first. I couldn’t explain what was happening to me.

Over time I began to realize the voices I kept hearing were people’s thoughts. At first it was extremely overwhelming. I would get frequent headaches that would last for hours or sometimes all day. There were times that the headaches were so painful I got sick. Once I understood exactly what was going on, I tried really hard to train myself. I forced myself to focus on one sound to listen to and eventually the white noise of so many voices became background noise. Even a majority of the painful headaches went away. For now, usually the headaches happen when I’m around too many people. Rock concerts and sports games for instance.

I’m not the only one, though. There are others out there like me. There’s a guy out there who can control fire, some can fly, another can change his appearance, and the most famous one is a guy who can run impossibly fast. Central City’s calling him the Flash. I found out about these other people with abilities through a blog run by a woman named Iris West. She posted quite a bit ever since the explosion and it’s actually interesting to read. She posted a few stories about him and how she’s been saved by him a few times. In short, she sees him more as a hero than some guy who is easily capable of robbing banks.

I guess a nice thing to know is that I’m not the only freak out there. I don’t know if I will ever meet others out there, but at least I know I’m not alone. For now I keep my ability a secret to myself. If someone found out, I could be captured by the military and they’ll force me to use my ability for interrogation, or some lab facility would experiment on me. Hell, even some guy could be rounding us up to create an army for his personal use. Maybe the world would be afraid of us and ship us off to a facility for super powered people. Oh wait, that’s basically a juiced up version of prison. Never mind. Either way, I don’t want to end up being forced to do something. I’d rather keep my abilities hidden than the world being afraid of me.

* * *

 

 The music was cranked up to a volume where it wouldn’t disturb the other tenants, but still help block out everyone’s thoughts. My mind reading ability made life a little difficult. I would hear secrets no one wants to hear; a partner being unfaithful, accidental pregnancies, planning for divorce, or someone planning to commit a crime or already did. Then there are the thoughts of the people who can’t keep it in their pants. Most of the time it was men. They’d have day dreams of doing it with some random chick walking by and start panting like a dog in heat. It’s absolutely pathetic, but it’s also human nature. We can’t control it.

Ever since I first got my abilities, it’s made my love life nonexistent. I found out the guy I was dating was cheating on me. I caught him in act and ended the relationship on the spot in front of his fuck buddy. Obviously a blond with fake boobs, large ass, slathered in makeup, and her fake tan made her look like an Oompa Loompa from the 1970’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. After that horrible experience, I’ve kept to myself. This ability can be a curse sometimes. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I focused more on my artistic abilities of painting, drawing, sculpting, and photography along with piano, guitar, and the band I play in. We’re terrible with names. The best we’ve got so far is Beefy Answer of the Haunted Library and Clan of the Something Cave. We have a horrible habit of changing names.

I think we sound alright for a small group. We usually do covers of songs of other bands, but we write our own material as well. We’ve had a few gigs every now and then within Central City and it hasn’t been too bad. There was one gig we had where everyone looked pissed off at us and gave me the death glare. That was before I had my abilities. Thinking about it now, I wonder why they acted like they had sticks shoved up their assholes. I could’ve been able to read their thoughts to understand why they acted like such pricks.

As my brush moved across the canvas my mind wandered off. It tended to happen whenever I was painting or drawing. Unfortunately that was when my mental barrier was down and I could hear everything. The smell of the paint reached my nose. It was getting to my head a little since I’ve been painting for a while.

The painting was acrylic and vibrant colored. Working with paint was one of my personal favorite mediums. I liked the texture of the paint and mixing the colors. Sometimes it took a bit to get the right shade of color, but only if you know how much of one color to mix with the other then it wouldn’t take so long. The painting I was currently working on was of a mountain landscape that overlooked crystal blue lake.

It was a lovely painting. At least _I_ thought it looked nice. I would have to let art galleries here in Central City be the judge of that. Lately, though, their judgment in art has been quite poor. They’ve chosen simple designs and call it art. I’ve seen one painting where the canvas was painted in three different colors all divided up in thirds and it was still ‘art’. It looked like the friggin’ flag of Italy. It pisses me off.

I pulled myself out of my work and studied it. Doesn’t look to bad. Then again, biased opinion. I gathered my brushes and headed to the sink and rinsed them off. My hands were smeared with paint from hours of working. My ratty clothes I paint in were also smeared with paint. I don’t think there has ever been a time where I painted something and didn’t make myself a huge mess.

Once my hands were rinsed off and my mess was cleaned up, I flopped on the couch lazily. My phone buzzed, alerting me that I had a text message. _Wonder who that could be?_ I sarcastically thought. Seventy-five percent of my text messages came from my best friend Natalie Winters. The other twenty-five percent came from my band mates Todd, Chloe, Adam, and Matt. Chloe and Matt were high school sweethearts while Todd met his girlfriend in college. Adam and I dated way back in high school, but broke up when he went to Julliard for percussion and I went to Central City University. He and I are still pretty good friends.

I met Natalie while I was in college. She was my roommate all four years and she has a degree in theater performance. I found out quickly that Natalie was a party animal. And that she had difficulties trying to find the right guy. When we shared an apartment together she had guys over several times, but she also respected my privacy when I was dating Grant the Cheater. She helped me the most when I caught him. She even offered to kidnap him and cut off his junk so he couldn’t reproduce. It was an extremely tempting offer, but I declined.

I checked my phone and found a text from Natalie. Surprise, surprise.

**You, me, clubbing tonight. Not buts. We need to get you a man in your life.**

I let out a groan. I hated going to clubs. The music was too loud, loo many desperate people, and the guys were a little too grabby. On a regular level that’s what they were like. On my level with the mind reading, it was much worse.

**Blaaaaaaah I don’t want to be social with other people. I’d rather be an antisocial introvert and stay home to binge watch Harry Potter stead of watching people awkwardly grind their bodies against each other on the dance floor to horrible music.**

**NU-UH I WILL ACCIO YOUR ASS TO MY SIDE RIGHT NOW! You chickened out the last few times.**

**You’re right outside the door, aren’t you?**

**Yes :)**

**I hate you…**

**No you don’t, you love me.**

**Give me a bit to open the door.**

There was no way to argue with Nat. She was headstrong and always argued until she was right. I heaved myself off the couch and headed to the front door. I looked through the peephole and found Nat standing there.

“Nat, I’m not liking this idea.” I replied and opened the door.

“Too bad.” Nat stood there with a smile and was holding a garment bag and her purse. I moved aside and let her in. “Tonight is going to be fun.”

“The only fun thing about tonight is the drinking involved.” I replied.

“Riley, you’re such a Debbie Downer.” Nat laughed and draped the garment bag on my couch. I closed the door behind her.

“No, I’m just not a party animal like you.” I folded my arms across my chest. “God, how did we survive living with each other in college?”

“Because I spent my time going out to parties and drinking.” She answered. “I felt too cramped inside.” I shifted a little. After college Nat left to head to Metropolis for acting opportunities. That plan didn’t exactly go well. She came back to Central City and moved in with her brother Ben. I owed it to her, though. I sucked up the inner pain of being forced to go out.

“So where are we going tonight?” I asked.

“We’re going to the Valiant.” She replied, unzipping the bag and pulled out a red dress. Nat does like to make herself presentable. Valiant was one of the biggest night clubs in Central City, which meant more people and thoughts I’d be reading. In general I don’t do well in big crowds. They make me very uncomfortable. I was about to protest, but then I kept my mouth shut. She wanted to go out and have fun and I haven’t done that much with her lately.

“Yay.” I gave a weak smile, but Nat didn’t notice.

“We are going to find you a man tonight, Riley.” Nat strode around the apartment with purpose. “We are going to be hot, we are going to be sexy, and we’re going to be too damn irresistible.” I let out a mental moan of horror at Nat’s words. This was going to be a disaster. “Come on, let’s go make you look slutty!” She grabbed my hand and her dress then dragged me to my room.

“I don’t have anything slutty.” I replied as we hurried to my room. “Besides, it’s five and they don’t open until eight.”

“Girl, we gonna need the time to make you look hot.” She looked narrowly at me. Oh great. We reached my room and Nat laid her dress on my bed. She then skipped to my closet and browsed through it expertly. I lounged on my bed, waiting for my demise. “My God, you need to upgrade your fancy clothes.”

“I’m sorry.” I shrugged. “I have the wage of a starving artist who makes money on the side by playing in a band that is super shitty.”

“Oh shut up, your band sounds awesome. You guys just need a better name.” Nat continued her search through my closet. “Aha! I found one!”

“Which one?” I asked as I sat u. She pulled it out and held it up. It was a black dress that had thick shoulder straps that thinned in the back, held together by a rhinestone ring. It showed more of the back than the front where a V-neck cut exposed the upper chest area; not my boobs, but my collar bones. It was actually more classy and elegant than Nat’s standards. I only wore it for special occasions like if my art was going to be featured at a gallery. Too bad that didn’t happen often.

“You do realize that’s meant to be classier than slutty, right?” I raised a brow. “It’s gorgeous! It brings out your hair color quite nicely, even if it’s short.”

“Oi, don’t diss the hair. Just means less work for me to do in the morning.” I ran my hand through my auburn hair that reached along my jaw.

“We’re curling your hair, too. You’ll look super cute!” She squealed with excitement.

“If you do makeup, don’t go overboard.” I headed to my dresser to grab the necessary undergarments. “I don’t want to look like a stripper or a clown. Or a stripper clown.” I shuddered a little at the thought.

“Just relax and go shower.” Nat shooed me away. I grabbed my dress from her, headed into the bathroom, stripped down, and took a quick shower. I scrubbed myself down, shaved, and once I got out I used moisturizer to make my skin soft. I wrapped a towel around me and proceeded to blow dry my hair. After ten minutes I finished drying off and then got dressed.

When I walked back to my room, Nat was in her red dress she brought over. It was a little too short and had too much of a plunging neckline, but Nat was Nat and could pull anything off. She had the model body every woman desired. She was athletically fit, curvy, piercing blue eyes, chocolate brown hair, and boobs she was super proud to show off, hence her cleavage enhancing wardrobe. How we clicked as roommates is something I never fully understood.

Nat’s mouth dropped when I walked in. “Oh, my God, you look amazing.” She let out a squeal.

“Can you zip me up? I’m not coordinated enough to do it by myself.” Nat walked up behind me and zipped my dress up.

“Hair and makeup.” She said, turning me around and guided me to my bed. She dug around in her bag and pulled out a case of makeup. Good God she comes prepared.

“No hooker, clown, raccoon eyes look, okay? I’m not selling myself out.”

“Relax.” She had me sit down. “I’m just going to curl your hair and use a purple eye shadow for a smoky look. You’ll be fine.” She plugged in a curling iron and set it aside to proceed on my makeup. “You should really wear a little makeup in your life, Riley.”

“Too much of a hassle.” I replied with a shrug. “It makes my face itchy as well.” Nat grabbed the deep purple eye shadow from her bag and opened it up.

“Close your eyes.” Nat instructed. I did as I was told. “You’re just not used to it. That’s why your face gets all itchy from it.” I felt her beginning to apply the color on with the brush. She was gentle and careful. Her years of wearing makeup made the routine of putting it on very quick. “I’m not going to put blush on because you look fine without it.” Within a few minutes she was done. “Now we need a bit of eyeliner.” I opened my eyes as she rummaged through her bag again.

“Good God, did you bring _everything_?” I widened my eyes.

“A girl has a big purse, so she fills it with makeup.” Nat shrugged, pulling out black eyeliner. “And then there’s you.” She let out a small chuckle. “You and your messenger bags filled with sketch books, pencils, and cameras.”

“Those are my tools for beauty.” I replied with a smile.

“And you’re damn good with them.” She smiled back. “Now look up.” I did as she applied a bit of the eyeliner on both eyes. “There, now we’re half way done. All we have to do is your hair.”

“Now that I can do myself.” I took my curling iron and walked over to the mirror. “You go finish getting ready.” I set to work on my hair putting in small curls and adjusted them so my hair came out a bit wavy. It was a bit tedious, but I got the job done. Nat had finished her makeup that really brought out her eyes. She decided her hair was wavy enough, but she stuck pins in to hold it up in a messy bun. There were a few strands that hung down her face, but it suited her. Nat looked at me with wide eyes.

“Oh, my God.” She breathed.

“What?” I panicked. “Does it look dumb?” This is why I hated dressing up.

“No. God no, Riley.” She was still speechless. “You…you look very sexy. That is an honest compliment. You just need a little a little lip gloss.” She handed me a light tone and I put it on. “Have you looked at yourself? I mean _really_ looked at yourself?”

I started long and hard at my reflection. I was shocked at the person staring back at me. Nat somehow enhanced every natural feature. She didn’t do anything super drastic, but she really brought out my brown eyes. The dress I was wearing hugged curves that normally would be nonexistent due to my regular casual tomboyish attire. My hair hung around my face in waves, lightly caressing my cheekbones.

“Oh, my God.” I gapped at myself. “What did you do?”

“I enhanced your natural features.” She replied. “If a guy doesn’t approach you tonight, then they’re crazy.” If a guy knew what I could do, he definitely wouldn’t approach me. When we slipped our shoes on and pulled our jackets on, we were ready to go. My neighbor Thalia was coming home. She was wearing her waitress uniform at a diner that was located near the Central City Police Station. She was short, petite, had short blond hair, blue eyes, and a shy, but bubbly personality.

“Going out?” She greeted with a smile.

“Hell yes we are!” Nat exclaimed.

“Help me.” I mouthed, mimicking a tightening noose around my neck. Thalia laughed. She knew how thrilled I was about clubbing. I locked the door to my apartment and stuck my keys in my pocket.

“You look amazing, Riley.” Thalia complimented as she unlocked her apartment. “Be careful, okay?” She tended to worry just like my mom.

“We’re cabbing.” I assured her.

“Good, now go have fun.”

“G’nite.” I waved as we headed out.

“She seems very…” Nat spoke as we were outside, trying to hail a cab. “…introverted.”

“She works as a waitress, Nat.” I defended Thalia. “They have a small wage and are expected to make up the rest of their salary in tips. She doesn’t go out a lot because she’s working her ass off to pay rent and have food.”

“I know what being a waiter is like.” Nat retorted. “I was one when I was seventeen.”

“Yeah? How long did that last?” I raised my brows.

“About two weeks.” She replied meekly. “Or one. But that’s only because my boss caught me having sex in the closet with a coworker named Chuck.” Her face briefly went off into fantasy land and unfortunately I could see it. “Ah, Chuck. He was damn fine with that six-pack and-“

“Nat, I don’t need the mental picture!” I snapped her out of it. She pulled out of her fantasy and the torture stopped. I hate living like this.

“Right.” She flushed with some remorse and embarrassment. “I’m opening up old wounds with you.”

“Exactly, so your whole description of your sexual encounters don’t really help.” I felt a pain in my chest as the memory of catching Grant in the act. “But Grant was six months ago. I’m done with him and I just need to move on.”

“Are you sure you want to go?” Did I detect concern in her voice about clubbing? This wasn’t like Nat.

“We’re standing out on the sidewalk in dresses and makeup. It’s a little too late to back out now, especially since you were so adamant on going out.” I replied. Nat was silent for a bit.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized. “Hug it out?” At first I was reluctant, but then we embraced in a sisterly hug. She was there to support me and help me recover from the incident when no one else did. I owe it to her that much. We broke away and a cab pulled up. Finally. We climbed in the back and I let out a sigh.

“Where to, ladies?” The driver asked. He had a bit of a scruffy appearance; bit of a five o’ clock shadow, dark eyes, and his greasy dark brown hair was mostly hidden by a hat. There was a fain scent of cigarette smoke lingering in the fabric of the seats.

“Valiant Night Club.” Nat answered. I closed the cab door and buckled in.

 _Oh, my God, they look hot! Especially the brunette one_ , the driver thought. _I’d like to take her home tonight and show her a good time at the club_. He sat up a little straighter, every so often looking in the rearview mirror as he drove to the club. I rolled my eyes in disgust and looked out the window.


	2. Chapter 2

_As I sat in the parking lot of the art supply store, I fished my phone out of my pocket. I unlocked it and went to my contacts, scrolling all the way to Grant. I hesitated a little, but then dialed his number and waited. I waited and waited as the phone rang, but he never picked up._

_“This is Grant,” The voicemail recording played. “Sorry I’m unable to take your call. If you leave a message I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” I hung up and let out a frustrated sigh. Something was up. Ever since I got my abilities, I noticed that Grant’s been acting weird. Maybe he was freaked out from the S.T.A.R. Labs explosion and how close it was to my apartment. I could understand if that was the case. If it were him in my shoes, I would be freaking out if I almost lost Grant._

_Grant’s been different, though. I try to not go through his mind, but it happens. He’s been hiding something. He keeps going out, claiming that he’s hanging with friends or doing stuff for work at Tech Village. There’s some blond girl that keeps appearing in his mind. It’s not his sister, Grant’s an only child. I think he’s cheating on me. I hate thinking that’s what the case is, but I lay wide awake at night and can’t sleep from it. I knew eventually I would have to confront him about it._

_Unfortunately, today was that day. It was sort of convenient that I was out getting art supplies. Grant claimed that he had a computer run with a client to go to and that he was going to a bar afterwards with friends to unwind so that he wasn’t going to be home at all. Reluctantly, I drove to Grant’s apartment._

_About six months into our relationship, Grant gave me a spare key to get into his apartment so I could come in whenever I wanted. My stomach felt like a lead weight when I pulled into the parking lot. Grant’s black Tahoe was in the parking lot. My grip on the steering wheel tightened up and I began to shake. He lied._

_I parked and got out of my car, walking with caution into the building. With each step I took towards the elevator, there was an increasing feeling of dread in my chest. I called the elevator and stepped inside, pressing the button to the tenth floor. As the elevator pulled up, I could hear the thoughts of other residents. It sounded like a small brook in my head. Some were pleasant, others were boring, some were dark, and depressing, some were…uncomfortable. Then I heard Grant’s as I reached the tenth floor. My hands shook as I heard them and my eyes welled up with tears._

_Yes, oh, God, yes, He moaned in his mind. Fuck, she’s good! God, yes!_

_My breath was hitched in my chest. It’s true. He was cheating on me. The doors slid open and I stepped out. I could see what Grant was thinking. He was laying on his back in his bed. A bed I slept in with him. There was a woman sitting on top of him and she rode him. Pleasure flowed through Grant with each thrust._

_I shook my head to clear my mind. I walked up to the door I was so familiar with. My hand trembled as I reached the knob. It jiggled a little, but it was locked. The key in my hand felt_

_so heavy. The key slid into the lock and I turned the key, unlocking the door. I stepped inside and shut it behind me. I shut my eyes tight and took a deep breath, then opened them again. Clothes were thrown on the floor in the living room. I recognized the shirt I bought for Grant on his birthday last year. Next to it was a dress. As I walked to Grant’s bedroom, there was a trail of more clothing._

_“Oh, yes!” I heard Grant cry from behind the door. “Come on, Babe, come on!” Moans and groans of pleasure erupted from the door. “God, you’re so tight!”_

_“Fuck!” The woman cried. “God, you feel good!”_

_“Just like that.” Grant groaned. “Yeah, just like that. God, damn that feels amazing. You’re better than my girlfriend.” Their cries grew louder as they reached their climax. I couldn’t take it anymore. I went up to the door and barged in. The two of them groaned loudly as they finished. Grant suddenly sat up. The woman didn’t notice me yet. She let out soft moans and kissed Grant on his neck. My hands clenched into fists._

_“Babe, why’d you stop?” She asked in a purring voice. She followed Grant’s gaze and then her mouth dropped. “Oh,” She hastily pulled the sheets around her busty chest in embarrassment._

_“Riley,” Grant’s voice cracked. “What are you doing here?”_

_“Don’t stop on my account. What the hell, Grant?” My voice cracked. “What in the actual fucking hell?”_

_“I can explain.” He began._

_“Oh, please do.” I stared coldly at him. My eyes burned with impending tears. “Please explain why you would lie to me about meeting with a client and hanging out with friends at a bar, when instead you’re here fucking the brains out of some other woman.”_

_“I…” Grant stammered._

_“You what? You screwed up? Yeah, you did. Big time.” I didn’t let him finish. “May I remind you how there was the chance that I could have died from a catastrophic explosion near my apartment a month and a half ago?”_

_“Riley, I’m sorry.”_

_“Sorry doesn’t even come close.” I felt tears of anger fall down my face. “I had a feeling something was up with you and turns out, I was right. I can’t do this anymore.”_

_“What are you saying?”_

_“You know damn well what I’m saying.” I replied. “It’s over, Grant. We’re done. Have fun fucking her.” I turned on my heel and walked out._

_“Riley!” He scrambled out of bed, pulling the blanket around his waist. “Riley, wait!”_

_“I’m done, Grant!” I yelled. I tossed the key to his apartment on the counter when I reached the kitchen. “I can’t be in a relationship with you if you lie to me and sneak off to bang other women. That’s not how a relationship works.” Grant grabbed my hand, but I yanked it away. “Don’t touch me.”_

_“Riley, please just give me another chance. I swear to you that I will make up for this.” He begged. He was begging. He was actually begging. I reached the door and turned around._

_“You can’t fix this, Grant.” I looked coldly at him. “You broke my trust. You betrayed me. It’s over.” I opened the door behind me._

_“If you leave, you’re not coming back.” Grant promptly spoke._

_“Not a problem.” I answered, stepping out and slamming the door behind me. I headed to the elevator and called it. When the doors slid open, I stepped inside and pushed the button for the ground floor. Thankfully, no one was in there with me. I was alone. I slid down to the floor and cried all the way down to the ground floor. This ability wasn’t a gift. It was a curse. It’s caused nothing but pain and trouble since the day of the accident. I hated it._

* * *

 

“Riley.” Nat called my name. “Riley, earth to Riley!”

“Huh? What?” I shook my head, clearing my thoughts.

“We’re here.” Nat replied. “Are you sure you want to go?”

“I’m sure.” I answered. We paid the fare and climbed out of the cab.

“You seem off today.” Nat noted as we got in line to wait to get in. “Are you sick or something?”

“I’m fine.” I assured her. A few guys gave Nat a wolf whistle and catcalls, but Nat acted like she didn’t hear them. For me, it was uncomfortable.

“Maybe this was a bad idea to take you out so soon after the whole incident.” For once Nat actually looked worried.

“I’m _fine_.” I shrugged it off. “Let’s just go.” After waiting for a little while, we headed inside and I was hit with a wall of sound, color, and thoughts. I could feel Nat’s gaze on me as I winced. “I forgot how loud club music is!” I hollered over the booming music. It somewhat distracted me, which was good. Ahead of us was the dance floor where people danced beneath bursts of color. Dance wasn’t exactly the best word to choose. A lot of them were grinding on each other. I shuddered. Another reason why I hated clubs. Other people “dancing” made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

“If they wanted to have sex, they could just go into one of those rooms around here!” Nat noted the dance floor. The club was constructed from an old industrialized warehouse where there were plenty of rooms to go sneak off to. As soon as she said it, a couple broke away from the crowd and headed off. “Oh, my God, I can predict the future!” I put up the mental wall to

block out everyone’s thoughts. Nat grabbed my hand. “Let’s go dance!” I groaned inwardly, but followed as she dragged me to the floor.

Nat found a somewhat clear area to dance at. I swayed to the beat of the music as Nat pretty much unleashed herself. I hate this, I hate this, I hate this.

“Come on, party pooper! Lighten up!” She danced around me.

“This is cruel and unusual punishment for me!” I replied.

“Just a couple of songs and then you can go sulk off!” She promised. I sucked it up and continued my uncomfortable dancing. I’m not sure how to describe Nat’s dancing, but to sum it up as best as I can, she looked like an enchantress and gave guys around her sultry looks. A few replied by sandwiching between her and no space existed. I looked away and tried to find other things to focus on. I tried. I really, _really_ tried to stay on the floor, but I couldn’t do it.

“I’m going to get a drink!” I hollered to Nat.

“Aww, why don’t you come join us?” She whined as she rolled her hips against the guy in front of her. Well, multitasking was one of Nat’s specialties. I shook my head.

“I’m good! I’ll be at the bar!” I jabbed my thumb in the direction I was heading to. She nodded and went back to her dancing. I moved as quick as I could, avoiding people as I headed to the bar. Luckily not a whole lot of people were occupying it. I sat on a stool and wearily massaged my temples.

“What can I get you?” A voice spoke. I looked up to find the bartender standing there. He was tall, fit, and very muscular.

“Scotch on the rocks, please.” I replied.

“Been here a while?” The bartender grabbed the ingredients.

“Sort of.” I shrugged. “My friend forced me against my will to come here. I tried dancing, but that didn’t last long.”

“So you’re already hitting the alcohol.” He laughed.

“My friend’s the party animal.” I laughed a little. “I’m not even close to be on the edge of being called a party animal.” The bartender began mixing the drink and I watched in fascination. The muscles in his arms rippled with each movement.

“Nothing wrong with that.” He gave a wistful smile. “More drinking for you.” His smile caught me off guard and the wall came down. _She’s pretty cute for a nonparty animal._ “So what’s your name?”

“Riley Lewis.” I replied. The bartender finished making my drink.

“A pleasure to meet you, Riley.” He set the drink in front of me and stuck a hand out. “I’m Tyler Mason.” I took his hand and shook it.

“Nice to meet you.” I smiled. So far, so good. He’s actually pretty cute for a bartender. His eyes were a very striking blue and his dark hair was spiked up a bit. His grip was pretty firm, but gentle as we shook hands. The best way to describe him in my artistic abilities, he looked like he was sculpted from marble by the Greek gods. And his scent! My God, it was very intoxicating!

“What do you do for a living?” Tyler asked with interest.

“I’m an artist.” I explained. “I mostly do paintings and photography. If I’m not doing that, then I play guitar and piano in a band.” I took a sip of the scotch, letting the alcohol burn down my throat. Tyler let out a low whistle.

“Damn, girl.” He was taken by surprise. “That’s impressive. Maybe one of these days I could model for you in a painting. Besides bartending I have a model career.”

“Really?” I wasn’t convinced.

“Yeah, I’ve done some work for some magazine companies around here.” _Just lie. Make it a really good lie. Make it convincing._

“Maybe one of these days.” I shrugged. Oh, who am I kidding? Hell no. Is there anyone in this city who doesn’t want to get into a woman’s pants?

“Don’t go anywhere. I’ve got another customer to take care of.” He quickly said before tending to a gentleman who recently approached the counter. I turned my back and leaned against the counter as I drank, watching the people before me. My mind wandered as I looked for Nat. It wasn’t that hard because she a few guys around her and she was practically rubbing up against them. I sighed in dismay.

There were a few guys out there who sort of perked an interest, but after hearing their thoughts it was a complete waste of time. Nat eventually danced over to me, breathing hard from all of the dancing.

“Come dance with me, Riley!” She hollered over the music. “It’s so much fun! I even met a guy that seemed interested in you when I was talking about you!” “Was that before or after the grinding on each other part?” I asked. Nat stopped dancing and her face fell.

“Oh….” She realized. “After.”

“Right.” I grimaced. “I’m pretty sure he was just agreeing and looking at your boobs.”

“Well, shit! I was hoping to hook you guys up!” She whined with disappointment. I shrugged it off.

“Oh well.” I continued drinking my scotch.

“Is that scotch?” She asked. I nodded. “I’m going to need something stronger than that.” She sat down on a stool. “Bartender!” Tyler walked over, his face lit up at the sight of Nat.

“What can I get you?” He flashed a smile.

“The strongest thing you’ve got.” Nat gave him a dazzling smile back.

“I’ve got just the drink for you.” He headed off to his liquor storage. He pulled out a bottle of rum and a few other ingredients. As he mixed he would occasionally look over at us and smile. _Hmm, which one to take home? The redhead’s got a nice personality and great taste, but the other one has a nice rack. Decisions, decisions._ I mentally rolled my eyes. Friggin’ pig. As Tyler finished Nat’s drink he lit a match and topped it off of the drink. Instantly, the top of the beverage burst into flame and little sparks appeared.

“Oh, my God!” Nat exclaimed. “That’s so cool! How’s it doing that?”

“I call it,” Tyler dramatically showcased the flaming beverage. “The Goblet of Fire. The cinnamon burning is what creates the sparks and the rum on top is what is making the alcohol burn.” Nat watched the flames with a transfixed gaze. She pulled out her phone, took a pic of it, and then Tyler blew the flame out. Nat took a sip.

“Oh, my God, this is delicious. How much do I owe you?” She asked.

“It’s on the house. The same for you, Riley. No charge.” Well, at least that was nice of him. I finished my scotch and sulked around for a few hours. Well, this really sucks. Nat had a few more drinks and was a little more than tipsy. She had a pretty animated conversation with Tyler and I’m pretty sure she gave him her number.

“Are you having fun?” Nat eventually found me again. “Yes.” I lied. “So much fun.” No, I hated being here.

“Cut the shit, Riley.” Nat slurred a little. “I know you don’t actually like it here. I appreciate that you came. I just feel so bad that you don’t have anyone.” Yeah, she was a little hammered. “Nat, I think you’ve had plenty to drink and dance tonight.” I responded.

“No, no, no, no I don’t want to go.” She slurred again.

“Nope, you’re drunk and tuckered out. We need to go home.” I replied. I helped her up as she slid off of the stool. “Come on, let’s go back to the apartment.”

“Are we going to do something fun?” She stumbled.

“We’re going to go home, get cleaned up, and watch movies-“

“Are we going to have a sleepover?” Her eyes went wide. This always worked on a drunk Nat to cooperate.

“Yes, we’re going to have a sleepover.” I gently pulled her along. “How many Goblet of Fires have you had tonight?”

“Um…three? Four?”

“Is she okay?” Tyler asked walking over to us.

“She’s just drunk. How many did she have tonight?” I explained.

“She had six.”

“Well, she’s going to be hung over tomorrow. No water either?” Tyler shook his head. “She’ll definitely feel that in the morning.”

“Does this mean you’re leaving?” He sounded a little sad.

“She’s a mess and can barely stand.” I replied. “I’ve got to get her home or someone will take advantage of her.” Someone like you.

“Oh.” He responded, a little flushed in the cheeks. _There goes my plan._ “Well, it was nice meeting you.”

“Yeah, you, too.” I replied while heaving Nat out of the club. Tyler headed back to the bar as I awkwardly dragged Nat out. It was a relief to be out in fresh air. The deafening noise of music and thoughts subsided immediately.

I hailed a cab and helped Nat inside, then climbed in next to her. Nat let out a moan that clearly meant she was not feeling well.

“Too much partying?” The driver asked.

“Yeah, she had too much for one night.” I replied.

“I know what that’s like.” He chuckled once.

“Don’t we all?” I gave a casual smile. The driver laughed again.

“Where to, miss?”

“324 North Glendale.” I replied. The driver took us back to the apartment building. The drive took fifteen minutes and during those fifteen minutes I kept a wary eye on Nat. Each bump for hard turn made me nervous that she would lose her contents all over the car. Luckily she didn’t. When we reached the building, I paid the fare and climbed out while awkwardly helping Nat in the process. As we approached the entrance, Nat stopped.

“Riley?”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t feel so good.” She bent over a little. I quickly helped her over to a trash can and she leaned into it. I held her hair back and looked away as Nat vomited into the can.

“Get it all out of there.” I patted her on the back. “It’s okay. Get it all out of you.” She heaved again as more contents spilled out. I pulled a napkin out of my bag and handed it to her. She gratefully took it and wiped her mouth. “Are you okay?” She nodded, still out of it and shaking.

“Can we go inside?” She asked. I nodded, taking her in. I pressed the button for the elevator and we headed in once it reached our floor. Nat leaned against me as the elevator moved up to my floor. “You’re a good friend, Riley.” She weakly mumbled. I gently rubbed her back in a friendly and comforting manner.

“We’re almost there.” Once we reached my floor, I slung Nat’s arm around me and let her use me for support again. I moved as quickly as I could to the door, fumbling for my key in the process. My muscled screamed out in protest as I hauled Nat in. I flipped the lights on to find my cat Link sitting on top of the couch. He meowed a hello.

“Hi, pretty boy.” I cooed at him. Link blinked a few times. I headed into my bedroom and laid Nat on my bed. I pulled her shoes off, searched for pajamas, helped her get out of her dress, and helped her into bed. I changed into my own pajamas and grabbed a pillow, blanket, and my copy of Les Miserables. My couch was serving as my bed tonight. As I made my bed, Link was still sitting in the same place watching me carefully.

“What do you want, judgy?” I looked at him. “Do you want food?” Link jumped off the couch and headed to the kitchen. “I’ll take that as a yes.” I followed him to my small kitchen, grabbed a can of wet cat food, and Link’s food dish. The ripe scent of the cat food reached my nose as I opened the can. I could feel Link’s eye son me as I scraped his dinner into his dish. Once I finished, I set it back on the floor next to his water dish that had plenty of water in it. He immediately swarmed in on it and greedily ate his food. Tea sounded good at the moment. I browsed the cupboard and found some chamomile tea. I grabbed my favorite mug I used for tea, which had the Hufflepuff crest. Totally nerdy, but completely underestimated.

I took a kettle and filled it with water before sticking it on the stove. I filled a glass of water and grabbed a bottle of Advil for Nat and stuck it on the night stand next to her as she slept. When the kettle began to whistle after a few minutes, I poured the hot water into my mug and steeped my tea. I turned the TV on to the news at a low volume as I flopped on to the couch.

The news reporters were doing a story about the Flash. Ever since he made an appearance while he faced off Leonard Snart, aka ‘Captain Cold’, and Mick Rory, aka ‘Heat Wave’, the city’s been on a frenzy covering every story about him and trying to figure out who he is. The guy’s making a good reputation for himself. Better than the Arrow guy in Starling City, but hey, when you kill criminals and try to make amends, it will take some time for me to trust that person. At least he’s doing better. Tonight’s story was of how the Flash thwarted a few bank robberies and saved a few people from a car wreck that caught on fire. I smiled a little. At least I’m not the only one in this freak show world.

After a while I turned the TV off and read some of my book. The book was pretty thick, but I was always up for a challenge. There was a sizeable dent I made from weeks of reading. My tea had a calming effect as I read. By the time 2:30 in the morning approached, my eyes struggled to stay open. I gave up and marked my spot in the book before turning the light off. I curled up in my blanket and Link jumped up, curling up in a ball on my lap. “Hi, buddy.” I scratched him affectionately behind the ears. He began to purr. Shortly after that, I succumbed to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up to whiskers tickling my face the next morning. Light blinded me as I opened my eyes. I winced in pain at the sudden brightness. Link was inches away from my face and meowed loudly. _Food_ , he seemed to be saying. _Give me food!_ I gently pulled him off of me and got up, stretching to get the sleep out of my system. Then I walked into the kitchen with Link following behind. After I got him his breakfast, I grabbed a bowl and filled it with Honey Nut Cheerios. Then I grabbed milk from the fridge and poured it in the bow. After that I brewed a pot of coffee. The aroma of brewing coffee filled the kitchen and set a relaxed feeling to everything.

As I ate breakfast, Nat shuffled out into the kitchen in a zombie-like fashion. She even looked a bit like one.

“Sup, Party Animal,” I greeted with a quiet voice and a mouthful of Cheerios. Having a hangover sucks major ass if you don’t take the precaution like drinking plenty of water and eating food. Your head’s killing you, your eyes are sensitive to light, and everything sounds all grainy against your skull. Nat winced.

“Hi,” She sat down. “Did you bring me back last night?” I nodded. “Why?”

“You were flat out wasted and I wasn’t going to let anyone take advantage of that.” I replied. “Especially the bartender you gave your number to. Plus my place is closer to the club than yours is.” Nat weakly chuckled.

“He was a nice guy.” She drifted off a little. “God, my head is killing me.” She laid her head down on the table.

“You need to drink plenty of water and need to eat something greasy.” I replied while getting up to clear my dishes.

“Please and thank you.” Her voice was muffled. I pulled bacon, eggs, milk, and juice out of the fridge. I fried up the eggs and fluffed them a bit with milk, friend the bacon in a separate pan, put some bread in the toaster, and poured a glass of orange juice. Once the meal was ready I dished it all out on a plate. “So what’s your plans for the day?” I handed Nat her plate of food. She took it and dug in.

“I have a photo session for a couple today at the park. It’s with some people named Iris and Eddie. Iris said she wanted to do a photo session and use a few of the pictures as a present for moving into the apartment she’s living in with her boyfriend.” I explained. “Afterwards I might go for coffee at Jitters.”

“Sounds like an interesting day.” She nibbled on a piece of bacon.

“What about you?” I asked.

“I’m going to get rid of this hangover, play hard to get with our friend the bartender, and go work on rehearsal for ‘Macbeth’.” Nat had a part for one of the three witches. She was pretty good at it. “Thanks for taking care of me when I’m at my worst.”

“You helped me getting over Grant. It’s the least I could do.” I shrugged. “Feel free to use the shower.”

“Oh, God,” Nat sniffed her dress. “I definitely need one after last night.”

“Take it easy today.” “Will do.” “And drink plenty of water.” I emphasized. “Not alcohol. The main reason why your hangover is so bad is because you didn’t drink any water last night. You have to stay hydrated.”

“Why weren’t you a science major at CCU?” Nat asked.

“Science actually isn’t my strong suit. I know this from firsthand experience.” I explained. Nat shrugged and went back to eating. My appointment with Miss West and Mr. Thawne was at 10:30, so I had an hour to make myself presentable to my clients. As much as I wanted to wear my nerdy shirts with ripped jeans, I refrained myself. It was quite the struggle to be honest.

I found a nice pair of jeans, a blue and gray-striped V-neck sweater with black sleeves, and my classic black Converse high tops. It was casual, yet professional. I kept my class ring on my ring finger of my right hand and my necklace I earned in high school for my years in band. I know, it’s nerdy, but they mean a lot to me.

I brushed out my nappy hair and straightened it a little. There were still some waves in it, but overall it looked nice. I brushed my teeth, put on some deodorant, and sprayed a little perfume on. Once I was dressed I grabbed my camera bag and my messenger bag. Link was perched on his scratching post, gazing at me with his yellow lamp-like eyes. I scratched him behind the ears and he purred, bunting my hand with his head. I chuckled softly in amusement.

“Love you, too, Link.” I replied. Then I kissed him on his head. “Nat, I’m heading out. Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m fine. I might take a nap after I shower to help get rid of the hangover, though.” He flopped on the couch.

“Sounds like a plan.” I slipped my black leather jacket on and opened the door. “I’ll be back later.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” She waved. Link left his post and sat next to Nat. “Link and I will binge watch some Doctor Who. Have you seen the new episode yet?”

“Spoilers! Shut up! You’ll ruin it for me!” I made a face. Nat laughed.

“Have fun with your clients.”

“I’ll try to.” I stuck out my tongue and closed the door behind me as I left. At least Link could keep her company. I headed downstairs to the parking lot and climbed into my 2010 Black Ford Focus. The drive took fifteen minutes because I had to cross the bridge. The sun was rising over the river and reflected its light off of it. Behind me was the vast structure of S.T.A.R Labs.

After the explosion the building practically shut down. I don’t blame Dr. Wells for doing so. If it were me in his shoes, I’d feel pretty horrible about being responsible for the deaths of seventeen people and changing the lives of the present super powered people.

My mind wandered as I continued driving. It ended up being a poor choice because I heard hundreds of thoughts from people in the area. A slight headache began to form at the temple from being overwhelmed. In my mind I put up a steel wall to block the thoughts. Much to my relief I reached the park. There were lots of flowers blooming, trees gaining their leaves back; it was the arrival of spring. Perfect for photos. I parked my car in the lot that was close to the paths. Another car was parked there as well. That must be my clients. The doors opened and out walked a tall man with blond hair and a woman with mocha colored skin. I climbed out of my car as well and grabbed my camera.

“Iris and Eddie?” I asked, reaching the couple.

“Hi, you must be Riley.” The woman stuck her hand out and I shook it.

“Yes, pleased to meet you.” I smiled. Eddie and I exchanged our hellos and shook hands.

“We wanted to thank you for doing this. It means a lot to us.” Eddie gratefully said.

“Oh, it’s no problem.” I replied. “Just doing what I love. Shall we go look for locations?”

“Absolutely!” Iris agreed. _She looks like she could be Barry’s type. She’s really pretty. Wait, would Barry even date a photographer? Well, he dated Linda and she reported sports. Hmm, maybe I should get to know her._ God damn it, Riley, quit reading minds!

“So what do you two do for a living?” I asked to strike up something as we walked.

“I’m a reporter for the Central City Picture News.” Iris replied. “And I run a blog.”

“Ah, journalism must be an exciting career. And I’ve read your blog. It’s very fascinating.”

“My job at CCPN has its ups and downs.” She shrugged. “But, thank you for reading my blog. It’s nice to know there are others out there who read it.”

“It’s really good stuff.” I smiled. “What do you do, Eddie?”

“I’m a detective in the Central City Police Department.” Eddie replied. “Iris’s father is actually my partner.”

“That must’ve been an interesting talk with your father.” I chuckled a bit. They laughed as well.

“I was considering looking into witness protection after we told him.” Eddie added.

“We also have a pretty close friend, well he’s actually more like a brother to me that works as a forensic analyst. He’s a bit of a nerd, but he’s loveable.” Iris put in. “Actually, he is a nerd, but still loveable.”

“I don’t give Barry enough credit for how good he is at his job.” Eddie spoke more directly towards Iris. “We wouldn’t have been able to figure out our cases without him. Also, he’s the reason we’re together.”

“Maybe you should tell that to him.” Iris suggested.

“I definitely will.” Eddie kissed Iris on the cheek. I felt a pang of jealousy in me. “So what do you do besides photography?”

“I’m an artist and a musician.” I replied. “I mostly stick to photography, but I paint as well.”

“Ooh, what do you play?” Iris asked with a great amount of interest. I think she definitely could be a good match for Barry.

“Mostly guitar and piano, but I sing if we need any vocals.” I explained. “I’m in a band with a few people from high school. We’re still trying to stay on one name because we have a terrible habit of changing our name.”

“Wait, have you played at Jitters?”

“Yeah, I have a few times.”

“Shut up! I used to work there! Oh, my God, I remember listening to you play. You guys sounded great!” I’m starting to like this Iris. We walked around the park to different locations where the couple had various poses. They were actually quite cute to be honest. We spent at least an hour shooting different poses. For once, a couple photo session was actually fun. After we gathered enough photos, we headed back to our cars.

“So what are your plans for today?” Iris asked.

“Probably head over to Jitters for a coffee.” I replied.

“Same here. Well, Eddie has to work in an hour, but we can meet you there if you want.” Iris suggested.

“I love the idea.” I agreed. “Sounds great.”

“Great, we’ll see you over there.”

“Iris, you should invite Barry.” Oh, my God I think they’re trying to set me up with this Barry guy. Who names their kid Barry? What is it short for? Bartholomew?

“Eddie, you’re a genius!” Iris planted a quick kiss on her boyfriend’s lips. She pulled out a phone and texted away on it. I climbed into my car as they climbed into theirs. Both of us set out for Jitters, a local coffee joint in Central City. I find myself going there at least once a week.

Within a few minutes we were at the heart of the city at Jitters. I parked my car in the lot and grabbed my bags. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving my camera out in the car. I made that mistake with a laptop once. Luckily nothing important was on it; just some old photos I took and the Sims 4. Luckily my disc wasn’t in it.

I met Iris and Eddie at the front door and we headed inside. As soon as we walked in, a huge aroma of coffee hit me full force. Oh how I love the smell of coffee. It seemed to have the same effect on Iris.

“God, I love coffee.” Iris sighed.

“It’s the nectar of the gods.” I chuckled. They chuckled in amusement.

“That couldn’t be truer.” She agreed. We headed to the counter and placed our orders. I paid the price for my cappuccino and sat down at a circle of couches with Iris and Eddie.

“Barry said he’ll be here in a few minutes. He has to take care of something at work.” Iris informed. “You’ll like him, he’s a great guy.” We sat around and chatted for a while until a waiter stopped by with our coffee. Iris wanted to see more of my photography artwork, so I showed her my portfolio I keep in my bag. Iris flipped through the pages, studying the photos closely. “Riley, these are really good. They’re amazing. Eddie, take a look at these.” He pulled my portfolio towards him.

“Oh, my God.” He studied them. “These are amazing. Iris, I think we chose the right photographer.” I blushes a little at the comment. “I have a feeling we could use your skills in the future.”

“Hey, guys.” A male figure stood across from me. He was tall and skinny, yet fit. He had a young face with brilliant green eyes and a charming smile. His hair was a nice shade of brown that stuck up a bit. He wore khaki slacks, a nice sweater, and a black sports jacket. I noticed he was wearing black Converse exactly like mine. He has good taste in footwear.

“Hi, Barry.” Iris and Eddie greeted. So this was Barry. I was taken by complete surprise. He was actually very attractive. Very attractive.

“Barry, this is Riley Lewis. She’s a photographer and a musician.” Iris introduced. Barry smiled and stuck his hand out.

“Barry Allen.” He introduced himself. A jolt of electricity shot through me as I touched his hand. He must have felt it, too. “Sorry about that. Must’ve had some static electricity built up.” His grip was gentle as I shook it.

“Not a problem.” I replied. “Nice to meet you.” I smiled back.

“So how do you know each other?” He asked, sitting back in his seat.

“I run a small photography business. Iris contacted me through an ad I posted ad we met up for a photo session. She wanted to do one with Eddie.” I explained.

“Nice, how did that go?” He asked. Of course Iris wanted to do a photo session. He sounded sad.

“It went pretty well. Do you want to see?”

“Sure, definitely.” He replied with that charming smile. I pulled my camera out and switched it on. Then I scooted to his side and pulled up the photos.

“We went to Central City Park this morning. There’s some other photos I ended up taking of besides of Iris and Eddie.” I passed my camera to him. A pleasing scent of aftershave filled my nose. He smelled really good. “Just navigate with those buttons there.” I pointed out. Sometimes the controls on there can be a tad bit confusing. Barry held my camera with gentle care and flipped through my photos, studying them intensely.

“These are really good.” He raised his brows. “These….are amazing. You have a really good eye.”

“You should look at her portfolio.” Iris handed him the booklet. He passed me my camera back and I turned it off, putting it away. Barry then took my portfolio and flipped through that as well.

“I like this one a lot.” He pointed to a black and white photo of a church on a canal walk.

“That one’s a personal favorite.” I replied. “I took that on the canal walk last October.” He flipped to the human subjects section. A lot of them were photos of a little boy and girl.

“Kids you know?” He asked.

“Yes, that’s my nephew.” I nodded. “His name is Sam. He’s four. And the other is my niece Rebecca. She’s eight.”

“They’re adorable.” Barry commented. Sam and Rebecca are the children of my older sister Anna. She’s six years older than me and happily married to a business man named Ethan Bartman. They visit my parents often when Sam needs a babysitter or Rebecca needed to be picked up from school when no one else was available. When I came to visit, my parents would ask me if I found a man to marry and when would I pop out grandchildren. Barry kept looking at my portfolio. “These are amazing. Are you doing photography for the newspaper?”

“Actually I’m not.” I shook my head. “I just stick to my photography business, working on different art projects, and playing in my band.”

“You have a band?”

“I play guitar, piano, and vocals if they need it. We’re not exactly set on a name yet because we change names a lot.” I replied. “We’re playing here on Saturday night. You should come check us out if you want.”

“Yeah, definitely.” Barry agreed. “I like that idea.”

“Riley, I can recommend you as a photographer to my boss if you’re interested. Our current photographer kind of sucks compared to you.” Iris offered.

“That would be great, actually. Thank you, Iris.” I was pretty surprised. Eddie pulled out his phone and looked at the screen.

“I have to head to work in a bit. I would love to stay and chat, but I have to go.” He stood up and slipped his coat on. “I’ll see you when I get home, babe.” He gave Iris a quick kiss. I saw Barry stiffen a little. “It was nice to meet you, Riley.”

“You, too.” I smiled.

“See you later, Barry.” Eddie nodded.

“Later, Eddie.” Barry gave a small wave as he headed towards the door. Once Eddie was gone, Barry relaxed. I put the two together in my head. Barry liked Iris. No, Barry loved Iris. I felt a small pang in my chest. Well, there goes my chance. Iris let out a relaxed sigh. I wonder if Iris knew. She did try to seem as casual as possible when Eddie kissed her. Maybe she does.

“So, Riley,” Iris brought me out of my thoughts.

“Hmm?” I asked.

“Any special guy in your life?” She asked. _I hope I’m not making it obvious in trying to set them up._

_God, Iris, why would you ask that question? She probably already feels uncomfortable enough_ , Barry groaned inwardly.

“Not right now, no.” I replied. “There was one guy a while ago, but not anymore.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Iris played the sympathy card.

“Don’t be. He was an asshole.” I waved it away.

“Sounds like quite a guy.” Barry chuckled. “How’d you meet him?”

“I met in at a party I went to in college.” I replied.

“You don’t seem like the party type, no offense.”

“I’m definitely not the party type.” I laughed a little. “No, my roommate was the party animal. She dragged me to that and I stayed close to the walls and stairs. I hated every single moment of it.”

“Understandable.” He agreed. “I’m the same way.”

“So that’s how that was. I secluded myself and hung back, then he walked up and started talking.”

“Out of curiosity, what university did you attend?”

“I went to CCU and graduated in 2011.”

“Oh, my God, no way! Me, too!” Life and excitement filled his eyes. “Were you there at the 2010 Homecoming game against Met U?”

“And they arrested the streaker that ran across the track?” I finished. “Yep, I was there. I was in the marching band and there was a front row seat.”

“That must’ve been an interesting view.” He laughed.

“Definitely unforgettable.” I laughed as well. “By chance, did you graduate from Central City High School in 2007?”

“Yes I did. I’m assuming you did as well?” Barry looked at me with interest.

“Indeed, I did.” I nodded, taking a sip from my coffee.

“Holy crap, it’s a small world. Iris graduated with us as well.”

“Mr. James’s economics class.”

“Oh, my God, I thought his eyebrows were furry caterpillars.”

“Same here! I thought they would eventually jump off his forehead and crawl around on the floor.” I laughed.

“I heard Mrs. Patton from the math department finally retired.”

“That crazy bat?” I gapped. “I thought she would kick the bucket while we were there.”

“I guess not.”

“She was there teaching math when my dad was there in the seventies.”

“She’s a lot older than I thought.” Barry’s eyes went wide. “I’m surprised she lasted this long.” Iris seemed amused by our conversation. I saw it as a good sign.

_Oh, come on, Barry!_ Iris pleaded. _She’s practically perfect for you!_ We sat around for a good while getting to know each other. Barry was incredibly smart and very funny. He even flipped out at my Catbug text ringtone where he yelled ‘Sugar peas’. My God, he’s perfect. Iris had to leave at some point to head to work, so it was just the two of us.

It was nice. There wasn’t any pressure of Iris or Eddie around. We could sit and talk like two normal people. Well, one person was normal. Our fun time was cut short when Barry’s phone rang.

“I’m sorry, I got to take this.” He apologized as he looked at his phone.

“No, no, no you’re fine.” I assured. “Happens to all of us.”

“Thanks.” He smiled. “What’s up, Cisco?” He was silent for a few moments. “Where? Right now?” He sighed. “Okay, I’ll be there in a bit.” He hung up. “I’m sorry. Something came up and I have to go.” He looked a little sad. I scrambled to my bag and fished around in it.

“Wait, before you go.” I tried to stop him.

“Yeah?” He was on his feet and slipped his coat on. I found my small box of business cards and pulled one out. I stood on my feet and handed it to him. “What’s this? I don’t think I have a face worthy to be photographed.” Barry was confused.

“No, that’s my cell number.” I chuckled, pointing to my contact info. “Call me some time. Maybe we can hang out.” Barry flushed a little.

“I definitely will.” He smiled.

“And I’d better see you on Saturday.” I added.

“I’ll be there.” Barry pulled his wallet out and stuck the card in it. “It was nice to meet you, Riley.”

“It was nice to meet you, too.” I smiled as we shook hands.

“I will see you on Saturday.” He smiled back. We were silent for a bit. She’s really pretty.

“Umm,” I brought us out of our thoughts. “Don’t you have a place to be at?” Barry blinked.

“Yeah, sorry.” He flushed a little again, but smiled. “I’ll call you some time.” He began to head to the door. “Bye, Riley.”

“Bye, Barry.” I waved a little. I watched him walk past the window and he disappeared around the corner. I smiled to myself a little. Maybe something good could come out of this. He seems nice enough. Then again, Grant was nice when I first met him. Iris seems to trust him a lot, given on their friendship. Maybe this could be something.


	4. Chapter 4

When I got back to my apartment, Nat was on the couch watching TV and Link was curled up in her lap. I hung my stuff up and plopped down next to her.

“So how did it go?” Nat asked. She had Doctor Who playing on Netflix.

“It was good.” I replied while scratching Link behind his ears. “The couple I did the session with were really nice. We went out for coffee at Jitters and I met a guy.” Nat paused the episode.

“Hold up.” She gaped at me. “You met a guy? Where? What’s his name? What’s he like? Is he cute?”

“Yes, I met a guy.” I nodded. “I met him at Jitters. He’s actually a friend of the couple. His name is Barry Allen, he’s pretty nice, funny, charming, and yes, he’s cute. Very cute, actually. I found out that he was at CCU with us and he went to high school with me.”

“Holy shit, that’s amazing. You have to show me a picture of him.” Nat’s eyes shined with excitement.

“Let me go get my senior yearbook.” I go up and headed to my room. My room had a few bookcases with a decent number of shelves and every shelf was filled with books. No, the shelves were _crammed_ with books. I love books. I browsed the case that had my yearbooks until I found my senior yearbook. I pulled it out and flipped to the senior class section.

I walked out and headed back to the couch. I handed Nat the book and pointed to Barry’s picture. “That’s him.” I explained. “Oh, my God, he hasn’t changed a whole lot.” I looked closer at the picture.

“Damn, he’s cute.” Nat agreed.

“If you think his photo is cute, wait until you see him in person.” I smirked.

“So did you get his number?”

“No, but I gave him my business card that has my cell on it.” I grinned.

“Smooth!” Nat high fived me.

“And he said he would stop by on Saturday night to hear the band play, along with the couple from the photo session. Turns out the chick used to work at Jitters.”

“No way. God, it’s a small world.” Nat breathed. “I’m coming Saturday.”

“Good, because you would be a shitty friend if you didn’t come.” I replied.

 _Also because I want to meet this Barry Allen. Son of a bitch, he is damn fine._ Great, do I have to fight my best friend?

“I just want to see why this Barry guy has you so intrigued. It’s been months since you’ve had your eyes set on a guy. I just want to make sure he’s good for you in case if you form something more than a friendship.” Nat’s expression softened. “I worry about you, Riley. Ever since the fucktard Grant cheated on you, I worry when guys are around you. I worry they’ll take advantage of you and then hurt you.”

“Yet you’re so persistent on finding me a man.” I noted.

“You deserve happiness. I know I can be a pain in the ass with guys, but you do deserve happiness. And I have a feeling this Barry guy could be the key to it.” I was silent for a bit. So that’s what Nat felt. “I’ve got to head into work. I’ll text you when I can, okay?” I nodded. She gave me a hug. “Everything’s going to be fine.” Nat grabbed all of her stuff and headed out the door. “Love you!” She called.

“Love you, too!” I replied.

“Sugar peas!” My phone alerted me of a text. I pulled my phone out and viewed it. It was from by mom.

**Would you like to come over for dinner?**

Apparently my job in the arts gave my mom the impression that I don’t eat enough because of low income. I don’t exactly blame her.

**Yes I would. Do you want me to bring anything?**

**If you could bring wine over, that would be great. Your father and Ethan are grilling steak.**

**I’ll be over around 5.**

**Great, see you then.**

I couldn’t say no to my dad’s grilling. My dad’s grilling is the shit. He’ll make his own marinating sauce and leave whatever he’s grilling in it for a few days. Not only that, but I liked visiting my parents. My dad and I were closer than I was to my mom. She favorited my sister. Probably because Anna’s been more successful at life by having an actual job, being married, and having kids. She was like that when we were younger. She was the perfect child. She had perfect attendance, 4.0 GPA, valedictorian, student council president, National Honor’s Society, and the list goes on.

Then there’s me; 3.5 GPA, art, and band. Did my dad see that as important and outstanding? Hell yes he did. He was my personal cheerleader next to Adam. My dad was the super artsy one and my mom was the proper business woman. I will never understand how my dad and she fell in love. They’re total opposites.

To pass the time away, I took the photos from today’s session and did small touch ups. They weren’t drastic changes. Some were to bring a little more color out. Some were experiments of the black and white setting which turned out pretty well. Once I finished touch up the photos, I uploaded them to my photography website. Then I texted Iris to let her know they were up.

When it was 4:30, I gathered my stuff, fed Link, and headed out to my car. I drove to Fresh Market and headed to the wines section. I liked that there was a lot to choose from. Plus there were some wines that were damn good. I finally settled down on a bottle of red Decoy Cabernet. It leaves a lingering taste of fruit, caramel, and almond. After that, I headed to the coffee section where I got a bag of ground vanilla maple.

I paid for those, climbed into my car, and then drove across the city to my parents. It always felt weird driving to my childhood home. It was a two-story colonial house with a basement. There was the master bedroom and bath, two bedrooms that now serve as guest rooms, an office, a full bathroom on the main floor, half a bathroom in the basement, kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry room, two-car garage, and a decent size backyard with a deck. My parents did a lot with the house after Anna and I moved out.

As I pulled into the driveway, I spotted Anna’s car. Time to have my life degraded. I parked my car next to Ana’s and grabbed the Cabernet. I looked at the bottle. “Please be my best friend tonight.” I climbed out of the car and walked up the sidewalk to the front door. It opened before I could knock, revealing my father, Richard Lewis.

“Hey, Peanut,” He used my childhood nickname with a warm smile. I embraced my father in a hug, smiling into his shoulder.

“Hi, Daddy.” I kissed his cheek.

“How’s my girl?” Dad asked.

“Not too bad.” I replied. “I did a photography session today and I have a gig on Saturday at Jitters.” My dad supported me in my variety of work. My mom didn’t exactly approve. Oh well, it’s not her life.

“That’s wonderful! How was the photo session? Who was it for?” We released each other from the embrace.

“The session went pretty well. They were a nice couple named Iris and Eddie.”

“Good, good.” My dad patted my head. “Sounds like a promising session.”

“Before I forget,” I held up the bottle. “I come bearing gifts.” Dad took the bottle and examined the wine.

“Decoy Cabernet.” Dad liked his wines.” Sounds delicious. I think your mother, Anna, and Ethan will like it.” Dad wrapped an arm around my shoulder and we walked to the dining room to put the wine on the table, then headed to the kitchen. My mom and Anna were bustling about in preparing food.

“Riley,” My mother looked up from the pot of mashed potatoes she was making. “Hello, Sweet Pea.” She walked over and hugged me.

“Hi, Mom.” I hugged her back. She was a bit taller than me, slender, brown eyes, and medium-length dark brown hair streaked with a little gray. My mother, Margaret Lewis, was a hard working woman. She cooked, cleaned, and worked as a secretary for a law firm in the downtown area. My dad was a few years away from retiring his job as a high school art teacher.

 “Did you remember to bring wine?” She asked.

“Yeah, there’s a bottle of Decoy Cabernet on the table in the dining room.” I nodded.

“Excellent. Ethan is out back helping on the grill. Which you should be out there with him.” She looked pointedly at Dad.

“Now, now, Maggie.” He defended himself. “Ethan has experience with grilling. He can hold the fort down by himself long enough so I could great my peanut at the door.” Dad kissed the top of my head.

“Twenty-five years old and still being treated like the baby in the family.” Anna spoke, wiping her hands on a towel.

“I am the youngest in the family.” I pointed out.

“Hey, Sis.” Anna pulled me in a hug. Her long brown hair she inherited from Mom was pulled back in a messy bun. I don’t understand how she does it. When my hair was longer I could never get it to look right. Then after I broke up with Grant I cut it a little shorter. A fresh start with life to move on from the past.

“Hi, Anna.” I hugged her back. “Where’s Sam and Rebecca?”

“They’re with Ethan out in the back.” She replied and released me from the hug. “So how was your day?”

“It wasn’t too bad. I did a photo session with a couple today. One of them works for Central City Picture News and said she would recommend me as a photographer to the editor.”

“Oh, honey, that’s wonderful news!” My mom continued with the mashed potatoes. “Now you’ll be able to have a real paying job.” I bit my tongue to refrain from saying anything.

“Running a photography business is a paying job, Mom.” Anna was quick to defend. “Riley does a lot to run her business and gets paid well by her clients.” Mom didn’t say anything for a few moments.

“I still think you should’ve majored in something like English to be a teacher.” Mom finally spoke. _I don’t know why she even bothered to major in art if she’s not teaching it. She doesn’t make a lot with her career. Even that silly band of hers won’t get her anywhere._ I felt the prickle of impending tears. Anna squeezed my hand.

“I think your work is amazing.” Anna spoke quietly. “Don’t listen to her. She’s just jealous you have an artistic talent and she doesn’t.”

“Thank you.” I spoke quietly. I gave my dad a look to assure him I was fine. Then I headed out to see Ethan and the kids. My brother-in-law was standing at the grill cooking the steaks. “Hey, Ethan.”

“Riley, hey!” He greeted me with a smile.

“My dad put you on grill duty?”

“I volunteered.” He took a swig from the can of Pepsi he had in hand.

“Smells delicious.” I examined the grilling steak. “And looks delicious.”

“Thanks.” He flipped some pieces. “So what’s up with you today?”

“I did a photo session today. One’s a detective and the other works as a journalist for Central City Picture News. She said she would recommend my photography skills to her editor.” I rambled.

“Nice! They should definitely hire you. The photos you took for our wedding turned out perfect. If they don’t hire you, they’re bat shit crazy.”

“Aww thanks.” I gave a sheepish smile. “At least you, Anna, and my dad appreciate my skills.”

“Maggie’s degrading you again?”

“Passively.” I frowned. Ethan inhaled sharply.

“That’s the worst.”

“You’re telling me.”

“At some point, she’ll realize she can’t control your life. You’ve been out of college for at least three years and your band and photography business are doing just fine.”

“I can see why Anna married you.” I sighed.

“I try my best.” He shrugged. “Cheer up. Everything will work out and be fine. Your mom is a hard person to win over.”

“She seemed to like you from the beginning.”

“Oh, no I had to win her approval. That was hard.” He replied. “Nothing’s impossible, just the changes of it happening are very rare.”

“I see your point.” I let out a breath. “Thank you.”

“You’re family. It’s my job.” Ethan smiled. “Everything will be fine.”

“Aunt Riley!” A very excited voice called my name. I turned toward the source. My nephew, Sam, was running as fast as his little legs could carry him across the yard. I got on my knees to his level and engulfed him in a hug.

“Hey, kiddo.” I kissed the top of his head and picked him up. “How are you?”

“Good.” Sam smiled.

“Did you do anything fun today?” I asked while smoothing out his dark, wavy hair.

“I went to preschool today.” He kissed my cheek. “We learned about colors.”

“Yeah? What’s your favorite color?”

“Red!” Sam said with excitement. “Just like the Flash!”

“What makes you think he likes red?” I played along.

“Because he wears red. Aunt Riley, you’re silly.” He wiggled to be put down.

“You are so smart.” I kissed his cheek, then put him down. “Where’s Rebecca at?”

“She’s over there.” He pointed to the swing set. Sure enough, Rebecca was sitting on top of the slide playing with one of her dolls.

“Hey, chickie.” I walked over to her. Rebecca looked up and smiled.

“Hi, Aunt Riley.” She slid down the slide and hugged me. I hugged her back with a gentle hug.

“How are you?” I smiled down at her. She had the Lewis auburn hair color from my dad’s side and the Bartman blue eyes. She was almost my exact twin, except my eyes were brown.

“Good.” She replied. “Mommy and Daddy have a surprise for us later. They said they would tell us at dinner.”

“Really?” I raised my brows. “Do you know what it is?” Rebecca shook her head.

“Nope.” She said. “Just that it’s a surprise.” Shortly, Anna came outside letting us know that dinner was ready. I didn’t even notice Ethan was already inside. Same and Rebecca took my hands and we walked back to the house hand-in-hand. When we walked into the kitchen, the aroma of food engulfed me and my stomach growled.

“Wash up and then help set the table.” Ethan instructed the little ones. I ended up washing my hands as well, but took drink orders. Anna was the only one of the adults who didn’t want wine, which was strange because Anna loved wine. I got Sam and Rebecca some apple juice because Anna was a bit of a health nut and didn’t want her kids drinking soda.

Once everything was set, we all sat down and my father said grace. I was raised in the Lutheran religion, but when I turned nineteen I started to question what I believed in. Not only that, but I was tired of people shoving religion down my throat. I respect others and understand everything in the church, but I was tired of the hypocritical people in church and tired of it being thrown in my face. I’ll still go to church, but not on a weekly basis.

We piled in on the food. The rumbling in my stomach ceased and I was happily satisfied.

“The steak’s delicious, Ethan.” My mom complimented.

“Definitely.” I agreed.

“You get my stamp of approval.” Dad smiled.

“Thank you.” Ethan nodded his thanks. “I try my best.” We continued eating our dinner. The Cabernet I brought also ended up being delicious. Anna still didn’t touch the wine. Something’s up.

“So Rebecca says you two have a surprise.” I spoke after a while. Anna slipped her hand into Ethan’s.

“We do.” Ethan smiled.

“Well, what is it?” Mom asked. Anna took a breath.

“We’re going to have another baby.” She announced with a smile. The room burst into cries of joy. So that’s why Anna never touched the wine.

“Anna, that’s wonderful!” Mom clasped her hands together. “A third grandchild!” Rebecca squealed in excitement.

“You’re going to be a big brother, Sammy!” She explained the confused expression on his face. Once he understood, his face lit up with excitement.

“Congratulations.” I smiled.

“What names are you thinking of?” Dad asked.

“If it’s a boy, Adam Ryan. And if it’s a girl, Cora Grace.” Ethan replied.

“Beautiful names. Absolutely beautiful names.” Dad smiled.

“The expected date is December tenth.” Anna added.

“Just in time for Christmas.” Mom smiled. “Riley, when are you going to bring Grant over? I never see him anymore.” My stomach dropped.

“Umm,” I replied. “Grant and I aren’t together anymore. We broke up four months ago.” My face burned. I haven’t told them yet. Mom’s eyes widened in disapproval.

“How? Why? I liked Grant.” Mom spoke.

“It’s a long story.” I bit my lower lip and sighed. “What I can say is that I made the decision to end it. I can’t be in a relationship if the other person remains unfaithful.” They understood that much.

“Oh, honey,” Dad pulled me into a hug. _I will find that son of a bitch and cut his dick off so he can’t go around and fuck other women._ Never in my life have I heard my father so angry.

 _Poor kid_. Ethan was sympathetic. Mom was still speechless.

“I’m so sorry, Sis.” Anna looked sad. _Why did Mom have to ask her that? Shouldn’t she have guessed something was up when he stopped visiting? She always pokes into her private life._ After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence I spoke up.

“May I please be excused?” I asked.

“Of course.” My father nodded. I got up and cleared my spot, then headed into the kitchen. I rinsed my dishes off and stuck them in the dishwasher. My head was pounding as I leaned against the counter. My phone buzzed. I fished it out of my pocket. It was a text message.

**Hey, it’s Barry. :)**

There was a flutter of butterflies in my stomach.

**Ellooo** **J** **How’s it going?**

 I hit send and waited for a bit.

**Not too bad. You?**

**Suffering through a family dinner.**

**Ouch. That’s never fun. How bad is it?**

**My sister announced she’s pregnant and then my mom asked when I would be bringing my ex over and pop out grandchildren.**

**That’s pretty bad.**

**You’re telling me. :/**

**Any way I can help?**

**Save me from this torture.**

**I could, but I could secretly be a serial killer. You never know!**

I chuckled in amusement.

**No offense, but you’re not super intimidating enough to be a serial killer. :P**

**I work in CSI. I could find multiple ways and yet still appear nonthreatening. But, none taken. :P**

**Hmmm, very true.**

**Not only that, but I don’t think your family would appreciate a total stranger on their doorstep and whisk their daughter away.**

**That is also true!**

**However, I propose a plan.**

**And what would this plan be?**

**To make up for not saving you from the torture house, how about going out to lunch sometime this week?**

My stomach dropped. He wanted to go on a lunch date. Should I? Yes? No? Come on, Riley. You need to get on with your life. Grant is part of the past now. He screwed you over and he’s an idiot fucktard. You need this. Nat’s words echoed in my mind.

_“This Barry guy could be the key to your happiness.”_

**I like that idea. :)**

**Great! Do you like Chinese food? I don’t know a whole lot of people that like Chinese food and I’ve been in the mood for some.**

**I LOVE CHINESE!**

**AWESOME! There’s this Chinese restaurant near S.T.A.R. Labs. Their food is amazing.**

**I’ve been there several times hahaha. My apartment is in that area, actually.**

**Well that makes it easy! So does Friday afternoon work for you?**

**Friday’s perfect. :)**

**Great** **J** **In the meantime, I have some forensic stuff to attend to.**

**Good luck! I have family problems to attend to. O.o**

**And I wish you good luck. :)**

**I’m gonna need it.**

**Channel your inner Catbug. :P**

**Yeeeeeeesss!!!! :)**

**Hahaha good luck Riley.**

**Thanks, see you on Friday. :)**

I stood there in silence after I added Barry to my contacts. I have a lunch date. I have an actual lunch date.

“Riley?” My mother walked in. “Are you okay?” I turned around.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I nodded. “Just a little overwhelmed with everything.”

“I’m sorry about earlier.” She apologized. “I had no idea. I should’ve known since the day he stopped coming around.”

“No, it’s my fault.” I put a hand up. “I should’ve told you guys as soon as we ended our relationship.”

“What happened?”

“Well,” I swallowed. “I suspected something was up with Grant. Then one day I went to his apartment and found him having sex with another woman. I ended the relationship right there on the spot.”  
            “Has there been anyone else?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I tried, but there’s no one else.” Mom came up to me and embraced me in a hug.

“You’ll find someone, sweetie.” She patted my back. “I know you will.” We stood there in each other’s arms for a few minutes. For once, it actually felt nice. “Now, let’s go get some dessert. I made German chocolate cake.”

“Okay,” I gave her a small smile. She knew that German chocolate cake would cheer me up. It was one of my favorites.

The rest of the time I was there, things got better. We had dessert, I helped with the dishes, watched a movie, and talked some more. My mind kept going back to Barry’s lunch invitation. Each time I thought about it, I felt a tingle of hope.


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next few days I spent several hours practicing with my band. Our set list consisted of a lot of covers from Smallpools, Sheppard, Of Monsters and Men, and a couple of Coldplay songs. There were a few songs we wrote and a couple that featured Todd and me on some duets.

When I wasn’t practicing with my band, I was out taking pictures or working on sketches and paintings. I even got a call from the editor of CCPN. He looked at my work Iris recommended and was very impressed. He said he would like for me to come in on Monday to start working there.

Barry and I also ended up texting each other more as well. We would talk about what happened during the day, learn more of each other’s interests, and hobbies. He was fun to talk to.

As Friday approached, my stomach felt like hundreds of butterflies were occupying it. Why was I so nervous? I should be nervous, should I? Maybe it’s because I haven’t gone on a lunch date or been invited out by a guy in God knows how long.

After I came home from rehearsal that Friday morning, my stomach was in knots.

“You can do this.” I told myself as I paced around in my apartment like a caged animal. “It’s just lunch with a guy.” It could become something more if things go well. “Just treat it as any other lunch.” I kept my attire pretty simple; jeans, Converse, a black beanie, and my Game of Thrones shirt with the Stark house crest on it. On top of that I had my CCU jacket.

When the time approached to meet Barry, I grabbed my bag. The restaurant we chose to meet up at wasn’t far, so I could easily walk there. I pet Link on the head, then locked the door behind me.

“Going out?” Thalia asked.

“Yeah,” I grinned. “I have an actual lunch date.”

“Who’s the lucky guy?”

“His name is Barry.”

“Oooh, sounds promising.” She flashed a grin. “Good luck, Riley.”

“Thanks.” I smiled. I’m going to need it because I’m a walking disaster around guys. I stuck my keys into my bad and headed to the elevator. After reaching the first floor my breathing quickened a little. Here we go. I stuck my earbuds in and switched Spotify on. Listening to music helped me calm down a bit. It was my way to relax.

I crossed a few streets, passing by some small markets, a park, a café, and small businesses. Eventually I reached the Chinese restaurant. The Jaded Dragon was my go to place for excellent Chinese food. It was my weakness along with coffee and massages. I turned Spotify off and stuck my earbuds in my bag. Barry was waiting by the door with his hands in his pockets.

 _Come on, Barry, you can do this. It’s just a lunch date._ I smiled to myself. He was nervous, too. At the sight of him standing outside the restaurant, I froze in my spot.

Come on, Riley. You can do this. He’s just as nervous as you are. I took a deep breath and walked forward.

“Hey.” I greeted with a smile as I approached Barry.

“Hey,” He smiled back. “You ready?”

“Yeah, I’m starving.” I replied.

“Good, so am I.” Barry chuckled. “Nice shirt.”

“The North remembers.” I was quick to reply. He smiled again.

“Shall we?” He held the door open.

“Thank you.” I replied as I walked into the restaurant. The aroma of Chinese food hit me full force.

"What would you like?” Barry asked as we walked up to the counter.

“I can pay for my own food.” I was abashed.

“This is a lunch date.” Barry replied. “The guy is supposed to pay for the meal, even if the woman orders something ridiculously expensive.”

“I promise I’m not expensive.” I laughed as we reached the counter.

“This lady right here.” Barry spoke to the worker at the register. “Do not let her pay for her own meal. I’m paying for her.” He was pretty persistent on this.

“Such a gentleman.” The worker spoke with a heavy accent. “You are very lucky, miss.” She looked at me and smiled. “What can I get for you?”

“Umm,” I stared at the menu. “I’ll have the chicken lo mein special with fried rice, an egg roll, and a fountain drink.”

“And for you, sir?”

“I’ll have the General Tso’s special with fried rice, an egg roll, and a fountain drink.” Barry ordered his food.

“That’ll be fourteen dollars and sixty-seven cents.” To woman totaled it up. Barry pulled out his wallet and paid for the food while I grabbed cups for us. He took his and we headed over to the soda fountain. I got Dr. Pepper and he got Pepsi. We found a table for two by the window to sit down at.

“So what’s up with you lately?” Barry took a sip.

“The editor from CCPN called me.”

“And?” He raised his brows.

“He wants me to come in on Monday to start working there.” I answered.

“Oh, my God, that’s awesome!” He was very excited. “Congratulations! That’s amazing. And you’ll know already know someone there on your first day.”

“What about you? What have you been up to?”

“Same old stuff.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “CSI stuff, working in the lab, running around the city, hanging with a small number of friends. Stuff like that.”

“Sounds like an interesting life, Mr. Allen.” I gave a small chuckle.

 _Oh, you have no idea how interesting_ , Barry thought to himself.

Stop it, Riley. You don’t need to poke through his thoughts.

“It’s average.” He crossed his arms and chuckled.

“What?” I drew the word out. “Come on, your life must be interesting.” Barry blushed a little.

“The only thing really interesting that’s ever happened to me was being struck by lightning a while back and ended up in a coma for nine months.” He replied.

“Was that when S.T.A.R. Labs exploded?” I raised my brows. Barry nodded.

“I was in the lab at the police station when the lab exploded. There was a storm cloud created by the explosion and the lightning struck me. Dr. Wells took me to S.T.A.R. Labs when my condition worsened. He felt responsible for what happened, so he felt a way he could give back to society was by taking care of me.”

“Oh, my God.” I was surprised. “That must’ve been terrifying.”

“At first it was.” Barry continued. “But the two people who still work with Dr. Wells took care of me and they ended up becoming my closest friends.”

“Would one of them be the Cisco guy that called you?”

“Yeah, Cisco’s a pretty good guy.” He smiled at the thought. “He and Caitlin are both pretty good people.” The worker at the register came up with our food. She set them before us and walked away with a smile.

 _Such a happy and cute couple_ , she thought to herself. We dug into our food and made small talk as we ate.

“Their egg rolls are beyond amazing.” Barry wolfed his food down.

“Oh, my God, yes.” I agreed as I ate mine. “I would have an endless supply of egg rolls if I could. It may be fattening, but so delicious.” Barry chuckled. After we finished eating, we sat around and talked some more.

“So what songs are you playing tomorrow night?”

“We’re doing a couple of Smallpools covers, some covers on Of Monsters and Men, Sheppard, Coldplay, and a couple of original songs.” I listed off of my fingers.

“Oooh, that sounds like a good variety.” Barry grinned. “I’m actually really excited about this.”

“Are Iris and Eddie still coming?” I asked.

“Yeah, they definitely are. Wouldn’t miss it.” He nodded.

“And if you know anyone else, bring them, too.” I added.

“Cisco will most likely go. I’m not sure about Caitlin and Dr. Wells doesn’t exactly scream the party type.” Barry stretched in his seat. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Sure.” I agreed. “We can go walk somewhere if you want.”

“Does the park sound okay?” He stood up while slipping his jacket on.

“The park is completely fine with me.” I stood up, grabbing my stuff. Barry was the first to leave the restaurant so he could hold the door open.

“My lady.” He said with a smile.

“Why thank you, good sir.” I smiled back, feeling my heart flutter a little from happiness. We headed towards the direction of Douglas Park. “To be honest, I was pretty nervous all morning.”

“Really?” He raised his brows in surprise. “I was nervous, too. I didn’t take you for the nervous type.” I laughed a little. “What?”

“I do get nervous.” I replied. “I get nervous about going on first dates with someone new and get uncomfortable around needles.”

“That’s normal.” Barry mused.

“But, if you throw me in front of a crowd to play for, I don’t exactly get nervous.” I added. “Though needles will scare the hell out of me.” I shuddered. “God, even saying the word makes me all uncomfortable.” He laughed at my reaction. “The school blood drive our senior year of high school made sure of that.”

“Oh, right.” He recalled. “The nurse pricked your arm in a weird way and didn’t get a whole lot of blood out. Then you passed out.”

“Oh, God, how do you remember all of that?” I blushed and covered my face with my hands.

“I took human anatomy and we helped out with the drive. Plus I was there to help you out after you passed out.” He replied. I kept my face hidden behind my hands.

“That was probably one of my most embarrassing moments in high school.” I moaned with horror. “I don’t remember much of that happening, but people kept saying I passed out.” Barry waved it off and laughed.

“You were unconscious when we moved you. It’s okay.” He smiled. “About twenty percent of the world population has Trypanophobia where they fear needles and injections to some degree.”

“Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants,” I looked at him as we walked. “What are you afraid of?”

“I fear losing the people that mater the most to me.” He replied. “I actually didn’t really realize this until my mom died when I was eleven.” Foot. Mouth. Now. Way to go, Riley.

“I’m so sorry.” I apologized, feeling ashamed of myself.

“It’s okay.” He gave me a comforting smile.

“Are you okay if I asked you what happened?” I asked. “If not, that’s completely okay and I fully respect your privacy.”

“No, you’re completely fine.” Barry assured. “You’re fine. You’re actually one of the few people I feel okay to talk to about this.” He took a breath. “My mom was murdered. One night I heard a strange noise coming from downstairs so I went to investigate. There was this lightning in the house that was swarming around my mom. There was a man in yellow that was in the lightning. I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what I saw. My dad came in and told me to run. Somehow I suddenly ended up twenty blocks away from my house. I ran back to our house as fast as I could, but it was too late.”

“Oh, my God.” I spoke softly/

“When I came back, the police were walking my dad out of the house with hand cuffs. They thought he killed my mom, but I knew the truth. The man in yellow did it. My dad’s serving a life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.”

“Is that why you got a job with the police?”

“That’s exactly why.” He nodded. “Hopefully I can find the guy. After my dad was sent to Iron Heights I moved in with Iris and her dad. She and I’ve been best friends for a long time.”

“Iris seems like a good friend.” I complimented.

“Yeah, she is.” He was quiet for a bit. “Does this all sound crazy to you?”

“In all honesty, I don’t think it sounds crazy.” I shook my head. “Especially since the Flash appeared, I think it’s very possible you really did see something that night. Pretty much anything impossible seems possible now.” Ever since I got my ability, anything crazy sounds normal now. I slipped my hand in his and gave it a quick, gentle squeeze. “You’re not crazy, Barry.”

“Thank you.” He squeezed back and smiled. We let our hands go and continued walking. “You’re one of the easiest people I have ever talked to.”

“I have one of those faces.” I replied. We walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes and reached the park.

“I’m sorry about Iris asking the awkward ex question the other day.” He had a shy expression.

“Nah, you’re fine.” I waved it away. “At least you know what there is to know in that area.”

“So what ended the relationship?”

“I always had this hunch that Grant wasn’t telling the truth. He would say he’s doing some client runs because he works for Tech Village or he’s out hanging with friends.”

“He wasn’t doing either of those.”

“Mmhmm.” I replied. “So I go to his apartment and I found him having sex with another woman.”

“Oh, God, that’s horrible.” Barry grimaced.

“It hurt horribly.” I nodded. “When the S.T.A.R. Labs explosion happened, a wave of something knocked me out. I woke up on the floor with bruises, but wasn’t injured seriously. Yet they still sent me to the hospital to check for things like a concussion.” I noticed Barry went a little rigid at the mention of the explosion. “Grant flipped out when he learned what happened. I thought that really meant something, but I was proved wrong when I caught him cheating. I ended the relationship right there on the spot.”

“Damn,” Barry was shocked. “That’s brutal. It’s good you got out because that wouldn’t have been a very healthy relationship.”

“I’m glad I got out. It was a toxic relationship and I probably could’ve lost my identity.” I replied as we walked around the small park. “What about you? Any past relationships?”

“In high school I dated Becky Cooper.” He replied. I remember Becky Copper. She was a straight A student, NHS, student council, she was basically Anna, but a bit arrogant about it. “My most recent relationship was with a sports reporter at CCPN named Linda Park, but it didn’t last very long.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Lovely, I get to deal with her at work.

“It was a weird relationship. I liked her, but she was competitive and things got complicated with her. The whole relationship lacked chemistry and she just really didn’t seem very understanding.” Barry shrugged. “She just wasn’t the right person for me.”

“Understandable.” I agreed. I could relate so well to him. Adam treated me well when we were dating in high school, but we just weren’t meant for each other. Walking the perimeter of the park brought some silence, but it was comfortable. The nice thing I noticed about Barry is that he didn’t talk all the time. He knew where to stop at and enjoy the silence. For once, I felt comfortable about it. Normally I would be bothered by it, but with him around, it was nice. “Any pets?” I asked.

“When I was younger I had a beta named Sir Peter Joseph Cottontail of Scotland. Right now I don’t have any. What about you?”

“I have a three-year-old black cat I rescued named Link.” I replied.

“As in ‘Legend of Zelda’ Link?” He raised his brows.

“Yep.” I nodded. I pulled my phone out and scrolled to the most adorable picture of my cat I could find. “That’s him.” I showed Barry. He looked closely at the screen.

“Aww, he’s adorable.” He smiled.

“He’s a weirdo. If you scratch him beneath his chin in the right spot, he’ll start to drool. He’s quite the cuddly cat, though.” Barry laughed in amusement.

“I’ll eventually have to meet him.”

“You definitely should.” I smiled back. Eventually we settle for the swings in the park and goofed off on them. We made small talk and laughed at a lot of things. Me being the huge dork I am, I twisted my sing up and spun around as fast as I could. After I stopped spinning I began to swing some more for a while, eventually jumping off and sticking a landing.

“A perfect ten!” Barry cried.

“If only I were that graceful.” I laughed. “I’m an expert at making a fool of myself.” Barry jumped off his swing and landed next to me.

“You’re not the only one.” He replied. “I make a fool of myself all the time at work.”

“I could see that being possible.” I laughed. Barry pulled out his phone and check the time, making a face at it. “What?”

“My lunch break is almost over.” He frowned with sadness. “And I was having a great time with you.” My stomach fluttered at his comment.

“You’ll survive.” I chuckled. “You have tomorrow night to look forward to.”

“I do.” Barry smiled as we walked out of the park. “And I can’t wait for it.”

“Me, too.” I smiled back. “I had fun today.”

“So did I and I’m glad you did.” We stopped on the sidewalk. “We should definitely do it again soon.”

“I definitely don’t object that idea.” We stood in a comfortable silence looking at each other. My heart fluttered as each second passed. The more I gazed at him, the more I realized how handsome he was. He rendered me speechless. I felt my mental steel wall crumble.

 _She’s beautiful. She’s very beautiful_ , he thought. He was a little close, but I didn’t mind. I blushed and looked away sheepishly. 

“Thank you for today.” I said softly.

“You’re welcome.” He replied in the same soft and gentle tone. _Do I kiss her? Maybe on the cheek._ My heartrate quickened its pace. Just hug him and give him a kiss on the cheek. “Well, umm, I should be getting back to the station or Captain Singh will have my ass.”

“Yeah, I don’t want you to be late.” I said a little too quickly out of nervousness.

“Okay.” He flushed a little. “Stupid question, but are you okay with hugs on the first outing? I don’t know if there’s some stupid rule…” Before Barry finished his sentence, I engulfed him in a hug.

“Hugs are fine.”  I chuckled. Barry relaxed a bit as he wrapped his arms around me. God, he smelled good.

“I will definitely keep it in mind.” He agreed. _As bad as you want to, don’t kiss her. At least not yet. Wait until the time is right._ I closed my eyes and smiled. _She smells amazing._ After a few more seconds we let each other go. Barry blushed a little. “I will definitely see you tomorrow.” He smiled.

“I’m holding you to that.” I grinned.

“I promise you’ll see me.”

“Good.” I chuckled.

“I gotta go or I’ll be late.”

“Get out of here, I’ll be fine.”

“Bye, Riley.” He smiled.

“Bye, Barry.” He headed off down the street at a quick pace. I could’ve sworn there was a jump in his step. Smiling to myself, I headed back home with my hear feeling the lightest it’s been in months.


	6. Chapter 6

"So how did the lunch date go?" Nat asked over the phone that evening. When I first mentioned the lunch date she screamed like a banshee.

"It was pretty good." I replied.

"Just pretty good? No, you need to spill the beans." She cut me off. "Like where did you go? What did you have? Did you do anything afterwards? Oooh, did he kiss you?"

"We went to the Jaded Dragon for lunch where he was kind enough to buy it for me. We talked a lot while we walked to the park, and no, he didn't kiss me."

"Well, that's a shitastic ending."

"He did hug me." I put in. "It was a nice hug. And he smelled pretty damn good."

"For now that's good." Nat agreed. "Is he still coming tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, he promised on that."

"Good because if he fails to ship up I'll kick his ass."

"Ever heard back from our friend the bartender?" I asked.

"Yeah, we're supposed to meet up tonight." She replied. "He doesn't seem too bad."

"Just be careful, Nat, okay?"

"Look who's talking."

"You got me there."

"Only looking out for you because I love you."

"Love you, too."

* * *

Sleep didn't come easily that night. I tossed and turned in my bed a lot, unable to get comfortable. When I finally did fall asleep, my dreams weren't welcoming either.

_"Run!" I cried. "Barry, run!" We sprinted down a dark alley away from a figure who was chasing us. My lungs were bursting for air and my legs screamed in protest from all of the running. There was a horrible stitch in my side that felt as if someone plunged a knife. We reached a corner and stopped to catch our breaths._

_"Are you okay?" Barry asked as I was hunched over, clutching my side._

_"I'm fine." I panted. "Just…really…out of shape. God, I need to start running in the mornings again." I stood up and took in deep breaths. The pain in my side subsided for now. Barry let out a shaky laugh._

_"Still showing humor in the presence of danger." He was a little breathless himself. "Nice."_

_"I try." I replied. Our fun moment was cut short when a loud gunshot filled the air. I let out a yelp of horror as Barry clutched his chest and slumped to the ground. A dark stain was spreading out quickly. "No, no, no, no!" I gasped in terror and got on my knees. "Barry, stay with me!" I took my hands and pressed down on the wound, keeping pressure. He yelled out in pain and began to bleed more. "I'm sorry!" I sobbed at his cries of anguish. "I have to keep pressure on it or you'll bleed out!" His blood quickly covered my hands. "God, please no. Don't leave me!"_

_Barry's breathing became labored and blood spilled out of his mouth. The bullet punctured one of his lungs. He wasn't going to make it. "Barry, stay with me." I said as tears spilled out. "Please, don't leave me." Barry's hands shook as he reached up and gently touched my face._

" _You were great." His breathing became more labored. "You were amazing and fantastic." He gave a shuddering breath and then his hand fell. He was dead. I completely crumpled and began to cry uncontrollably._

" _No!" I screamed in horror. I buried my face into his chest and heavily sobbed. "Come back. Please come back." There was the sound of footsteps as someone was approaching us. I looked up and Grant stepped out of the shadows with a gun in his hand. "You!" I shrieked. "You did this! You killed him! Why did you kill him!?" Grant stooped low to my level and gazed at me with a cold smile._

" _Because." He said. "You belong to me. You're mine and you will always be mine. I will find you, Riley."_

I shot up from my sleep, gasping and shaking hard. Sweat was soaking me, making my clothes stick. My sheets were tangled around my legs and my heart hammered against my chest. I gulped large amounts of air down, trying to steady myself. I put my head between my knees and breathed slowly until I felt better. It was just a dream. It was only just a dream. It felt so real, though.

My phone was plugged into the charger on my nightstand table charging away. I grabbed it and checked the time; three in the morning. There were a few notifications from Facebook, but nothing else. As I pressed the home button, my thumb hovered over my texting app. I bit my lower lip in thought. Should I text him? No, he could be asleep. Instead of putting my phone down, I hit the app and selected a thread with Barry's number in it.

**Sorry for the late night text. Couldn't sleep.**

I hit send and waited, biting my lower lip in anticipation. Shortly after that, there was a reply.

**It's all good. I couldn't sleep either. What's keeping you up?**

**Nerves and a nightmare.**

**Worst combination ever. I feel you on that. I've had that happen a few times. What happened in it?**

What should I tell him? 'I had a nightmare where both of us were being chased by my ex down a dark and creepy alley and he shot you. Then you died.' Hell no, I couldn't send that.

**My ex in a monstrous grotesque form was chasing me.**

Close enough. Grant was a monster for what he did.

**Green tentacles, slime for drool, and nasty breath?**

**My God, it's like you were actually there!**

**Hahaha. I just watch too many old sci-fi films with Joe on movie nights. :P**

**Ah, you're a classic nerd. :P**

**I try.** **Are you feeling any better?**

**Yeah, I'm feeling better. Thanks.**

**You're going to be just fine tomorrow night. I know it.**

**But you've never heard us play before.**

**But judging from what I've heard from Iris is that you guys sound pretty amazing. So yes, you're going to be just fine and kick ass.**

**Blaaaaah, okay. :P**

**You'll be fine! Now, you need to get some sleep because you're going to need it.**

**Hey Barry?**

**Yeah?**

**Thank you.**

**Yeah, no problem. That's what I'm here for. :)**

**Good night Barry. See you tomorrow.**

**Good night Riley. :)**

* * *

I put my phone back and crawled beneath the covers, pondering our conversation. He was a good friend. Deep down I was starting realize I was starting to like him. A lot. I'd have to dial back on that, though. I couldn't get my hopes up too high in case if nothing came out of this. I had that happen a lot even before I got my abilities. Barry may be incredibly nice and sweet, but he still has his feelings for Iris.

When I woke up in the morning, Link was sitting close to my face. His whiskers tickled my cheek and he meowed loudly. _Get up, human,_ he seemed to say. _Feed me my breakfast. I need my food._

"All right, all right I'm getting up." I plucked him off of me and carried him to the kitchen. I set him down and fed him breakfast. The band was meeting for breakfast at IHOP as part of our tradition. We did a group breakfast on the day we had a gig. It was our way of saying good luck.

After I fed Link I changed out of pajamas and into jeans and a plaid green shirt. I had a black leather jacket I put on top, laced up my shoes, grabbed my bag, and locked the door behind me as I headed out. It was a cool morning as I walked out to my car. The sun was shining, there was nice breeze blowing through, and the temperature was cool enough for jacket weather, but not ridiculously hot.

When I got to IHOP I spotted Adam, Todd, Chloe, and Matt all waiting outside by their cars. They must've recently arrived. I parked over next to Adam and climbed out.

"Way to be late." Adam said jokingly.

"It's five minutes after eleven." I replied. "I'm fashionably late."

"Is that so?" Matt smirked.

"It is!" I defended myself. "My cat kept bugging me for breakfast."

"I'm just messing with you." Matt laughed.

"I'm starving. Can we go inside now?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, let's go in." Todd wrapped an arm around Chloe and they led the way. The rest of us followed suit.

"Damn Italians." I muttered. It was something we always said when Matt did something stupid. Adam walked up beside, chuckling with amusement.

"So I hear you had a lunch date yesterday." Adam held the door open for me.

"Yeah," I replied with some surprise. "How'd you hear that?"

"Nat told me last night." He replied as I passed through the doors.

"You two hook up again last night?"

"Maybe." Adam was shifty.

"Adam, it's fine if you did."

"We did." He replied with bitterness. "Only because she needed some comfort because the bartender guy you met turned out to be a dick."

"She told me last night she was going to meet him." I noted.

"Yeah, they met last night at a bar." Adam explained. "She hoped something good would come out of it, but turns out he only wanted her for sex."

"Because he saw how she was outside the club life. He wanted someone easy and she ended up being a little too complex for him."

"Exactly." He nodded. "Damn, you're good."

"I read people all too well." I shrugged.

"Anyway, she called me after the date failed, so I picked her up and took her back to my place. She told me what happened, so we watched a movie, drank, and cuddled. Then things got a little heated up and we hooked up."

"So you had pity sex."

"No, she got drunk off of my vodka stash and she came on to me while we were cuddling." He got all flustered. Was he getting embarrassed about it?

"So you took advantage of her."

"We've hooked up several times before so I kind of expected it to happen." Adam tried to defend himself. "Besides, I don't think any of it actually means something to her."

"Oh, my God," It hit me. "You like Nat." Adam turned red.

"Okay, maybe I do."

"Do not lie to yourself." I laughed. "You like her a lot."

"Isn't there some girl code where your best friend can't date your ex?" He asked.

"The code thing is total bullshit to me." I waved it away. "Besides, nearly all the guys Nat fancies aren't my taste. I don't care if she dates guys I've dated. It's her relationship, not mine. I think you two would be great for each other."

"You think so?"

"Completely." I smiled. "She's had a crappy streak in successful relationships. Given on how you treated me when we were together, I think you would be what she's looking for." Todd told the hostess how many were in our group and she led the way to a large booth with menus.

"So now what?" He asked. "I want to tell her how I feel, but maybe she just wants to stick to the whole 'friends with benefits' thing."

"Well, see how she acts around you tonight at the gig." I shrugged.

"But she'll hang around you a lot when we're not playing."

"She won't if the guy I had lunch with yesterday is there. She'll want to give me space so we have a chance of starting something."

"Very clever. What's his name, by the way?"

"Barry Allen."

"What kind of name is Barry? Is it short for Bartholomew?" Adam asked as we reached the booth.

"Gee, I don't know. What kind of middle name is Bernard?" I turned the tables.

"Hey, Bernard is a great name." He piped back. "Haven't you heard of Bernard Cribbins?"

"You mean the guy who played Wilf in Doctor Who?"

"See? This is why you're awesome." He said. "Someone understands. Thank you. This Barry guy better be good." The hostess set the table for us and moved aside so we could sit down.

"Your waiter will be with you shortly." She replied, then walked away. We all scooted into the booth and flipped through the menu.

"You two gossip like a bunch of high schoolers." Matt noted.

"Aren't we great at it?" Adam grinned. We flipped more through the menu. French toast sounds really good right now.

"So tell me about this Barry guy. Nat didn't say much about him last night." Adam pursed his lips as he flipped through.

"Well, he's nice and pretty funny." I said. "He's charming, quite the gentleman, very smart, and cute."

"How cute?"

"Very cute, even if he's geeky."

"A perfect fit for you."

"Maybe." I shrugged. "We just have to give it some time and see what happens."

"Here's good luck to you." Adam smiled. We spent the rest of the morning eating breakfast and talking about our daily lives. After breakfast I headed back to the apartment. I had several hours to kill until I had to be at Jitters to set up for the gig.

I spent a good amount of time sitting out on the fire escape drawing the city before me in my sketchbook. Link sat on the floor in the sun, lazily relaxing. Every now and then he'd move and stretch out on his back, exposing his furry stomach.

I took a break around two to get a small lunch. Afterwards, I took a shower so I would look presentable on stage. Our dress code for gigs was to dress as comfortable and casual as possible. I ditched my green plaid shirt for a blue one and dark jeans. For my final touch I added my beanie and Converse.

I gathered my acoustic and electric guitar together along with my amp and various cords I needed. I found myself pacing the living room. My anxiety was starting to get the best of me again.

"Come on, you can do this. It's just like any other gig." I told myself. "Except Barry's going to be there." My stomach dropped as I said his name. What's wrong with me?

"Sugar peas!" My phone chirped. I grabbed it and saw the text was from Barry.

 **What kind of coffee do you like what time do you perform** _?_ I smiled to myself.

**I like caramel macchiato. And I have to be at Jitters for a sound check at four, but we don't play until six.**

**Okay. See you soon. :)**

**See you soon. :)**

Aww, how sweet of him to buy me coffee. My heart fluttered a little. Don't get your hopes up too high. I gathered up my stuff and put the cords in a plastic storage tub as Thalia assisted me in loading up my car.

"Are you sure you won't be able to make it tonight?" I asked as we carried my equipment.

"I wish I could, but I have to cover for a gal at work. She's sick with the stomach flu." Thalia replied. "Plus I need the extra hours."

"Understandable." I nodded as we walked to my car. "Any customers giving you a hard time?" She once came home bawling her eyes out because of how a few men she was serving humiliated her. I felt pretty bad for her so I let her stay with me for the night. It helped put her in a better mood.

"Ever since that night, no."

"If that happens again, you need to let me know. You shouldn't have to put up with that. At the very least, let your manager know." I replied seriously.

"Riley, you don't need to do that." She turned red. "You don't have to come in if that happens."

"You're one of the very few people in the world that doesn't deserve to be treated like crap. Next time some asshole does that, you let me know." I looked at her seriously.

"Okay." She was still red by the gesture. "You're a great friend."

"Ever since the S.T.A.R. Labs explosion you've kept an eye out for me. It's the least I could do." I replied. We loaded my equipment in the car that took us two trips. Without Thalia's help, it could have easily been four. I thanked her for her help and headed back into my own unit to make sure Link got fed before I headed out for the rest of the day. If we play well enough, our three hour gig could go well past closing time.

After Link was fed and I made sure I had what I needed, I set out for the front door and locked it behind me. Thalia wished me good luck as I made my way towards the elevator. I wished her good luck as well with her shift and headed into the elevator.

The fifteen minute drive helped me relax a little, but as I pulled into the Jitters parking lot my nerves came back. I spotted everyone else's cars in the lot and parked in an empty spot. As I climbed out, Adam was walking out of Jitters.

"Need a hand?" He asked.

"Shouldn't you need a hand with all of your drum set?" I asked back.

"I have everything unloaded, just not out of the cases yet." He replied.

"Then yes, I would love a hand." I popped my trunk open. I grabbed my guitars as Adam grabbed my amp, then we headed inside. There was a low platform set up close to the back wall of the room and I spotted Adam's pile of drum cases.

"The owner said we can put our cases in his office so we don't have to worry about them being in the way." Todd informed as I approached them. Adam set my amp down.

"Anything else you need, Riley?"

"Just my tub of cords and my bag." I replied.

"I'll get them." He offered.

"No, I got them." I set my guitars down. "You have to get your drums together."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I gotta lock my car anyway."

"Just holler if you need anything."

"Will do." I said as I headed back outside. When I reached my car, I checked if anything was missing. Nothing was missing so I grabbed my tub of cords, locked the doors and heaved the heavy tub up. I headed back inside where Adam was setting up his drum set.

"I've got my sound guy coming in a bit so he can make sure our levels are fine tonight." Matt said as he was opening a tub with microphones. He brought stands in from his car along with his Yamaha piano. Matt worked at one of the radio stations on Clifton Street where he has a morning show. "Plus, I advertised our gig on the station's Facebook page. From the looks of the response, we might have quite the crowd tonight."

"That's awesome!" I grinned as I hauled my amp to my spot in the front next to Matt. He was busy putting the stands and mics together, placing them in our designated spots. Then he started setting up the soundboard. I got back to setting up my stuff and plugged some of the cords into the amp. I pulled my guitars out and began to tune them while everyone else was finishing up. Matt's sound guy came in shortly after that.

"Hi." He approached me. He was tall, fit, green eyes, and had jet black hair. "I'm Zeke, the sound guy." He stuck a hand out.

"Hi, I'm Riley." I shook his hand. "Lead guitar, vocals, and occasional pianist."

"Nice to meet you." He smiled. _I wonder if she has a boyfriend._ "So, um, sound board that Matt set up?

"It's right over there." I pointed in the direction. "We're just waiting to hook up some speakers and plug everything in."

"Great, I'll get to it." He nodded. Zeke headed off and began to do his work. I headed over to help Matt set his piano up while Adam and Todd were setting the speakers up. Chloe was setting her stuff up and tuning her bass.

"Can I test it out?" I asked as we finished setting his equipment up.

"Yeah, go ahead. You've got the highest piano skill out of all of us to really know what to look for." Matt agreed.

"Sweet!" I grinned. Once we got the thumbs up from Zeke that everything was plugged in, I turned the piano on and pressed a few keys. To test the levels, I played Debussy's "Reverie". From years of playing piano and minoring in piano, the piece came easily to me. My fingers flowed over the keys and the world around me began to disappear. My nerves began to relax more as I continued playing. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a few people stopping to watch and listen. Once I finished playing, there was a small applause from the audience.

"Levels sound good on the piano." Zeke reported.

"Shall we do a sound check now since we're all set up?" Adam asked.

"Seems like a good plan." Matt agreed. Everyone else nodded. "Okay, let's do a quick run." We all climbed up on the platform and plugged in, turning on our amps. I strummed a few chords out and played a small rift. Everyone else tested their levels and once they were satisfied, we were good to go. Our sound check lasted for about an hour or so and we still had some time left before we started actually playing. Zeke adjusted our levels so they were balanced and sounded fine throughout the building.

As we lounged around until six, people began to walk into Jitters. Most of them were people I didn't recognize. I saw Matt's girlfriend walk in and he greeted her with a kiss. Out of boredom, I went back to Matt's piano and messed around on it. I turned the volume down on the piano so it wouldn't really bother anyone else. I decided to play a few more Debussy pieces as time passed.

"Debussy?" Adam asked as he walked up to the platform.

"Yep." I answered while playing.

"I listened to him a lot while I was at Juilliard." Adam replied. "I had to do a paper on him for my music history class."

"And how'd that go?" I asked.

"Pretty well. I aced it." He replied. I continued playing a Debussy piece, then played "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair". It was a personal favorite next to "Clair de Lune". As I played, my mind wandered again and everything around me melted away. Much to my displeasure, it wasn't a long piece. It was beautiful, though. "What else do you know?"

"Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin," I listed off. "A lot of the big piano composers plus an Italian one who's alive."

"What's his name?"

"Ludovico Einaudi." I started playing one of his pieces.

"And what's this one?"

"Nuvole Bianche." I replied.

"It's nice." Adam commented.

"Yes it is." I nodded in agreement.

"Riley, I think your guy friend is here." He nudged me. I looked up.

"Huh?"

"The guy you're crushing on. He's here." I looked around and sure enough, Barry was at the front of Jitters with Iris right beside him.

"I am not crushing on him." I stopped playing and whacked him on the shoulder. "I just…..casually like him. A lot."

"Well go talk to him." Adam gave me a gentle push. "You invited him, so go talk to him."

"I am, I am." I replied as I made my way over to Barry. When Barry spotted me, his face lit up and he had a huge smile. I couldn't help but smile back at him. I walked up to him and I felt a warmth spread through me.

"Hey." Barry greeted me with his charming smile.

"Hey." I greeted back. "You made it."

"Of course I would. I promised I'd be here and here I am." He chuckled. "Um, Cisco really wanted to come, but he got stuck working late at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"What exactly does he do over there, if you don't mind me asking?" I asked.

"He basically invents stuff that could be useful for the world."

"Like ballistic shields lined with heating ribbons for the police to use against Captain Cold." I remembered the encounter between the Flash, Captain Cold, and Heat Wave.

"Exactly." Barry nodded.

"So how have you been?" I asked.

"I've been fine." Barry stuck his hands in his pockets. "How about you? Were you able to get more sleep last night?"

"Yeah, I've been okay." I replied. "And I did manage to get more sleep."

"That's good to hear." He agreed. "Are you ready for tonight?"

"Definitely." I smiled. "A bit nervous, but definitely ready."

"Well, I definitely can't wait to hear you play." He smiled back.

"Riley, hey." Iris greeted me with a hug.

"Hey, Iris." I hugged her back. "Is Eddie here with you?"

"Eddie got roped into working a shift so he can't make it here, tonight." She explained. "Are you ready for Monday?"

"Definitely." I agreed. "A little nervous, but definitely excited. Thank you for referring me, by the way. It means a lot."

"Anything for our favorite photographer." Iris smiled.

"Anything." Barry agreed.

"How's my favorite guitarist?" A familiar voice spoke from behind and I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders.

"Hey, Nat." I grinned. "Nat, this is Barry Allen and Iris West. Barry and Iris, this is my best friend Nat." They exchanged their hellos and shook hands.

"Riley talks a lot about you, Barry." Nat chuckled.

"Really now?" Barry blushed a bit, but looked interested. I, on the other hand, blushed probably as red as a tomato. Oh can we just please talk about something else?

"If she kept going on, she might talk herself to death." Nat chuckled.

"Ha ha, Nat." I forced a laugh. "You're hilarious." Nat gave me a squeeze.

"Oh relax, Riley. I'm messing with you." I forced a smile and nodded.

"Barry, do you want to go get a drink?" Iris asked. He nodded. "Do you want a drink, Riley?"

"I'm fine for now. I gotta play in a bit." I politely declined the offer.

"Okay. We'll be right back." Barry said. _I'll just buy her a drink when they have a break._

"Okay." I nodded. Nat and I watched as they walked over to the counter. "So what do you think?"

"He's very cute and dresses well, but he's not my type." She stated her opinion. "He definitely seems like a very nice guy and maybe a perfect match. Once I talk to him more, I'll let you know afterwards."

"And Iris?"

"She seems like a good friend. Although, Barry has this puppy look around her." Damn she was spot on with that.

"Yeah, but she's already dating someone who works as a detective." I shrugged.

"Ah, loving someone from afar." She sighed. "I know what that's like."

"We both do." I agreed.

"We'll see, though." She added. "You never know. Something could happen tonight and set things on a completely different course."

"Speaking of something could happen, you should talk to Adam later when we're on break." I noted. I followed her gaze to him.

"Adam? Why him? He's just a guy." Nat lied. _Oh, God. Does she know I like him? Does she know I hooked up with him?_

"Cut the crap, Nat, I know you like him."

"Are you mad?"

"How can I be mad at you for liking someone?" I asked. "We can't help having feelings for someone. That's just how it is. And if you like Adam, then I couldn't think of a better guy for you to like. He's a nice guy, and I think he can make you happy."

"You sure?"

"I'm positive." I smiled. "Now, I need to go get ready to play. Who knows how long we're going to be up there." Nat gave me a hug.

"Good luck and kick ass out there." She released me.

"Thanks." I took a deep breath and sighed. "Tell Barry I-"

"Don't worry. I'll let him know you had to go." She pushed me towards the platform.

"Thank you." I gratefully said.

"You're my best friend. What are friends for?" She smiled. I smiled back and headed to the platform. The rest of the band was making their way towards the platform and Zeke made his way to the sound board.

"Ready?" Adam asked.

"Ready." We all nodded.

"Let's kick some ass." Chloe grinned. Matt nodded and headed up to the mic and piano near the front. We took our places on the platform, itching to play. Zeke gave Matt a thumbs up that we were good to go.

"Good evening," Matt spoke into the mic and the chatter in the crowd died down. "We'd like to thank you all for taking the time out of your Saturday evening to come here. We are the band Anonymous; seems fitting since we change our name so much." Laughter broke through the audience. I spotted Barry, Nat, and Iris close by. Barry looked directly at me and smiled.

 _You can do it, Riley_ , he thought. I smiled back at him.

"We've got a variety of covers and originals to play for you tonight. This one is 'Dreaming' made famous by Smallpools." Matt concluded. Adam counted off and we began. As we played, the crowd was getting into the music and started to dance. We did a few Smallpools covers, a couple of Sheppard covers, and a few originals.

We played. A lot. The audience seemed to really enjoy how we played. After we finished our last song for the first half, Matt notified the audience there would be a thirty minute break. I set my amp on mute and put my guitar on the stand. After that I set off into the audience in search of my friends.

As I walked around, people were congratulating me on our performance so far. Once I spotted Barry, I felt a wave of relief. Nat nudged Barry and nodded towards my direction. He looked over at me and smiled. I walked over to the group and got showered in compliments.

"That was amazing, Riley! You guys sound awesome" Barry engulfed me in a hug.

"Thanks." I grinned, hugging him back. "Adam's over there, Nat if you want to talk to him."

"I'll be back." She smiled and walked off towards Adam.

"You guys sound great." Iris smiled at me. "That's some real talent right there."

"Thank you." I replied.

"Ooh, there's Emma from work. I gotta go ask her a few questions." Iris noticed someone close by. "Have fun, you two." She then left us alone.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Barry asked.

"Sure, just let me go get my wallet." I nodded.

"Nope, I'm paying for it." He shook his head.

"Stop spoiling me so much." I chuckled.

"Make me." He flashed a grin. We headed over to the barista, and I place my order that Barry paid for.

"Thank you." I gave him a small smile as we waited.

"You're working hard tonight. You deserve it." Barry shrugged. "But, you're welcome." We were silent for a few moments.

"So are you enjoying yourself?"

"Definitely. I haven't heard a live band in a while. Let alone a good one. You have a really great voice when you sing. I was completely blown away by it, along with your playing on the guitar and piano."

"I try." I smiled sheepishly.

"How long have you been playing?" He asked.

"I've been playing piano since I was nine. Then when I was about twelve that's when I picked up guitar."

"And singing?"

"That came from years of singing in the shower." I replied humorously. It made Barry laugh. "I'm more of the instrumental type than vocal."

"Singing in the shower?" He chuckled. "You expect me to believe that years of singing in the shower led to you having a great voice?"

"Well, that's the plan." I grinned.

"Caramel macchiato?" The barista asked.

"That's me." I replied. The barista handed it to me and I took a sip. The caffeinated beverage slid down my throat and warmed me up. "God, I needed my coffee."

"I can relate." Barry chuckled. I smiled at him as I took another drink.

"I prefer you with long hair. Almost didn't recognize you up there." A voice spoke behind me. My face fell and my insides went cold. I knew that voice. Barry gave a look of concern. I turned around to find a familiar male standing in front of me.

"Well, I decided to do something different." I replied. "Hello, Grant."

 _So this is her ex_ , Barry thought.

"Hello, Riley." Grant replied. "How's life treating you?"

"Fine." I gave him a hard gaze. "And you?"

"Fine. Just fine." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Still working at Tech Village."

"Still seeing anyone?" I asked.

"Sydney? No, there hasn't been anyone." He replied. _No one of complete interest to actually be in a relationship with_. "Who are you? I don't think we've met." Grant turned his attention to Barry.

"Barry Allen." Barry replied, with a cautious gaze. "I'm a friend of Riley's."

"Grant Williams." He stuck a hand out and Barry shook it. "Riley and I used to be a thing." I could see Grant making an attempt to crush Barry's hand, but Barry never flinched. Then they released their grip. "So how has your family been?" Grant asked me.

"They're fine." I replied. "Anna's expecting another baby, Dad's close to retiring, and Mom's the same as ever."

"That's good to hear. Send them my regards."

"I will." I answered. We stared at each other for a few moments.

"I'll see you around, Riley." Grant concluded. "Barry." Then he left us. As soon as he left us, I let out a sigh of relief.

"Was I drunk during the entire time I was with him?" I asked aloud.

"I think the better phrase is blinded by love." Barry put in.

"Yeah, I was drunk during the entire time." I replied. Barry laughed. "But, at least I didn't try to attack him this time."

"You did pretty well." He complimented.

"What was that all about?" Iris asked as she approached us.

"That was an unfortunate run in with my ex." I replied.

"You mean that was Grant?"

"Yep." I nodded.

"That must have been incredibly uncomfortable." She sympathized. "What did he want?"

"Just wanted to know how things are, he met Barry, which was rather terrifying." I listed off.

"He got all hot and bothered and tried to crush my hand." Barry explained.

"Well I don't know what you guys think, but I think he sees you as a threat, Barry."

"Great." Barry sighed. They went on talking about different stuff and I tuned out a bit to see what was going on around me. There were so many thoughts in a small space it made my head start to hurt. I rubbed a temple, trying to ease the pain. Barry eyed me. "You okay?"

"What?" I asked, coming back to reality. "Oh, I'm fine. Just a slight headache. It's nothing serious." I drank more of my coffee.

"You sure? Iris might have something." His face creased with concern.

"I'm fine." I assured. I tuned out again, listening to the different minds.

 _Do it. Pull the trigger and shoot off warning rounds. Then order everyone to stay on the ground and have them hand over their valuables. Have Eric keep an eye on them. Make sure they don't use phones._ The mind went through a well-thought out plan.

 _If anyone resists, I'll shoot 'em._ Another voice rang out through the crowd. Oh, my God. There were armed men in the building! My insides went cold and my breathing started to pick up.

_Do it._

_Make the move._ There were four of them!

"Riley, are you sure you're okay?" Barry asked. I looked around trying to find the sources of the thoughts. Then I found them. There were four men standing by the front door. And they were very shady looking.

"Barry, can I talk to you somewhere a little less crowded?" I asked with urgency. Oh, my God. It's going to happen! He nodded and I pulled him to a small corner where it wasn't crowded by people.

"What's up? You look freaked out." He looked at me. My breathing picked up as I saw the four men surveying the area. "Riley, breathe." Barry put his hands on my shoulders. "Big, deep breaths, Riley. What's going on?" I took three deep breaths and looked up at him.

"Do you ever get a feeling you know something bad is going to happen?" I asked seriously. He was hesitant.

"Yeah," He replied slowly. "What's going on?"

"I can't exactly explain it, but something bad is going to happen." I looked around and began to panic. "I've got a really bad vibe about it."

"How do you know this?" He asked. _She seems really sure and serious about this. And terrified as well. Could she be…?_

"I can't really explain. All I know is that something bad is going to happen." I bit my lip. "You work with the police, right? Text Eddie or Iris's dad there's four guys staking out the place."

"Riley, do you realize how crazy this sounds?"

"Will you shut the fuck up and listen to me before it's too late?" I snapped at him. "People are going to get hurt if we don't do something." Barry's expressions suddenly became serious.

"And you're sure about this?" He asked.

"Absolutely." I nodded. Barry bit his lower lip and looked at me seriously.

"Which four men?"

"Over by the front door. They've been standing around there since we started playing." I replied. Barry looked in that direction.

"No matter what happens, you stay with Iris." He instructed.

"What are you going to do?"

"If anything happens, someone needs to be able to contact the police." He replied. "I'm going to call Detective West. Now, stay with Iris." I swallowed nervously. "You're going to be fine."

"I hope you're right." Barry pulled me into a hug.

"You're gonna be fine." He replied. "Be safe." Barry then let me go and gently pushed me towards Iris. As I walked towards her, the four men began to make their move.

Then all hell broke loose. Gunshots were fired into the air and people began to scream.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this a robbery!" One of them announced.

"On the ground, now!" Another ordered. Everyone scrambled to sit down. I scrambled to sit close to Iris.

"Riley?" Fear filled Iris's eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She replied and looked around. "Where's Barry?"

"He went outside to get some air." I replied. "He went out the back door. He's lucky he got out before this happened."

"Barry's smart. If he heard gunshots, he'll call my dad and tell him what's going on." Iris bit her lip in worry. I looked around to try to find Adam, Nat, Chloe, Todd, and Matt. They were close to the platform all huddled up with each other.

"Now if you all cooperate, this will be painless." The big burly robber said.

"And if you don't," The other threatened. "It won't be painless." Several people whimpered and sobbed in fear. Terrified voices ran through my mind as I looked around me.

_We're gonna die here. God, we're gonna die!_

_This can't be happening!_

_Someone help us! Please!_ I looked over at Iris.

_Please find us, Flash. Please help us. Please, please, please help us!_

"Everyone pull out your valuables and place them on the counter!" The head robber instructed. "Don't even think about trying to call the cops!" Everyone was paralyzed in fear. The robber took his gun and fired into the air again, sending everyone in a panic. "NOW!" He bellowed. We didn't hesitate. We pulled our valuables out, which included our phones, and placed them on the counter and sat back down. We had no way of contacting the police. We were completely helpless.

I hugged my knees tight. Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity. I was too scared to focus on one thing to block everyone's thoughts out. The four robbers gathered around the register and forced the barista to open it, giving them all the money that was in it.

"Tom, go guard the back entrance. If anyone tries to get in or out, shoot 'em. We're not done here yet." The head guy ordered. One of the robbers headed to the back entrance where Barry had exited not too long before. One robber guarded the front entrance while the other two went into the owner's office to try to break into the safe.

"We're going to get out of this." Iris spoke softly.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"The Flash will come. He'll save us. He hasn't let us down yet."

"Stop talking!" The man at the door ordered and went back to guarding the door. There was a faint sound of sirens getting closer and closer. "Shit!" He exclaimed. "Wade, we gotta get out of here! We've got company!" The sirens grew louder and shortly, the front window was lit up with red and blue lights. The two robbers emerged from the office with their duffle bags full of cash.

"This is Captain David Singh of the CCPD!" An amplified voice called from outside. "We have the place surrounded!" A tiny wave of relief passed through me. Barry got through to them!

"Shit!" The one called Wade exclaimed. "Which one of you called the cops?" He demanded. "Which one?" No one spoke.

"This one here looked like she suspected something from the beginning." The robber who went into the office with Wade spoke. My eyes widened in horror. Were they talking about me?

 _Oh, God_ , Iris was mortified. Suddenly I was yanked forcefully to my feet.

"Let me go!" I struggled against them, but it was no use. The robber had my arms pinned back painfully.

"Is that so?" Wade approached me with a snarl. He looked up and down at me. "The guitarist, eh?" He loomed near my face. His breath smelled rancid as he drew close to my face. "How did you know?"

"I don't know." I croaked, shaking in the robber's grip.

"Huh? I didn't catch that."

"I don't know." I spoke louder.

"I can't hear you!"

"I said I don't know!" I cried, feeling tears escape. Wade drew a blade and pressed it to my neck, feeling the stinging kiss. I closed my eyes as more tears fell.

"I'm giving you one last chance." He threatened. I kept my eyes closed, my breathing ragged. I was quiet for a few moments. "I'm waiting."

"I don't know." I said quietly. I accepted my fate. If I were to die right here and now, so be it. My few regrets? I wish I made things better with my mom. I wish I called them earlier and told them how much I love them. I wish I told Anna how much I love her. I wish I knew what was going through Barry's mind. Was he in love with Iris or was he starting to like me? I held my breath, waiting for the end.

 _Keep her safe. Get her out of here_ , a loud and very familiar voice rang through my head. In that brief moment my mind was the quietest it had ever been. There was a rush of air and the pressure of the blade disappeared. The harsh grip was replaced by a gentle one. It was strong and firm, but gentle.

"You're okay." A strange voice spoke. "You're safe. Open your eyes." I opened my eyes to find a figure clad in red leather looking at me. His face was covered in a cowl-like mask of some sort. It was him! The Flash!

"I…" I stammered. He gave me a smile.

"You're welcome." He spoke in that strange voice. Then he disappeared in a bolt of lightning and a gust of wind. I looked around me. I was outside. More importantly I was outside by the police. The lights were blinding and there was a commotion of several officers running towards me.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" One of them asked. I looked up to find an officer before me. "Ma'am?"

"What happened?" I felt disoriented.

"You were saved by the Flash." The officer explained. "Are you hurt?" I tried to speak, but no words came out.

"She's got a shallow cut on her neck." Another officer spoke. "We should get her some medical attention." There was another commotion coming from Jitters, but suddenly the four robbers appeared at the curb all tied up with the Flash standing by.

"Officers," He spoke. "Make sure these four have a comfy cell." Cheers and applause exploded around us at the victory. The Flash stood there for a bit with a smile on his face. Then he disappeared in a flash of yellow lightning.

The few officers around me assisted me in getting over an ambulance that was waiting by.

"This one was hurt during the hostage situation." One of the officers informed a medic. The medic immediately guided me over to the back of the ambulance and sat me sit down on the ledge.

"What happened?" The medic asked as she grabbed supplies.

"One of the robbers…." I swallowed. "He had a knife and he held it to my neck. He cut it, but I don't know how deep." The medic gently lifted my chin and examined my cut.

"It's not too deep, and it's not a serious wound." She said. "You won't need stitches, but I can patch you. Have they hurt you anywhere else?"

"One guy had my arms pinned back pretty painfully, but those will probably end up as bruises." I replied. The medic pulled some gloves on and pulled a kit out, proceeding to clean my injury.

"Physically, you'll be fine." She explained. "But given what happened, it might be good to talk to a trauma counselor." I nodded. She cleaned it up and put a gauze on it. "All finished. Just keep that clean and it will heal nicely."

"Thank you."

"Detectives, she's all yours." She informed. "Take it easy, okay?" I nodded. Two men in suits approached me. I immediately recognized one of them.

"Riley!" Eddie rushed over to me. "Oh, my God, are you okay? Where's Iris?"

"I-I don't know. She might still be inside." I answered. A large dark skinned followed closely behind Eddie. That must be Iris's dad.

"You know her, Eddie?" The man asked.

"Yeah, Joe." Eddie nodded. "This is Riley Lewis. She did the photo session Iris and I had a few days ago. Iris helped her get a job at CCPN."

"So this is the photographer that Barry talks about." The man called Joe agreed. "I'm Detective West, Iris's father."

"Nice to meet you." I said.

"Is it okay if we ask you a few questions on what happened here?" Detective West asked. "We're collecting statements from witnesses so we can put these sons of bitches away."

"I don't mind." I took a deep breath as he pulled a pad out.

"What happened exactly?" Detective West asked in a gentle tone.

"We just finished playing our first set and we were going on a break." I began. "My band that I'm in was playing at Jitters tonight as a gig to earn some money. Anyway, I walked over to Barry and Iris to talk to them for a little while. Just asking how things were. Then Barry offered to buy me a drink and I agreed."

 _Good kid,_ He noted.

"We talked some more at the counter and then an ex-boyfriend of mine showed up. We caught up with what we've been up to since we've broken up."

"And how long ago was that?"

"Four months."

"Then what happened?"

"After he left, Iris came back and started talking to Barry. I tuned out of their conversation and looked at what was going on around me. Everything seemed normal until I saw the four robbers by the front door. They were guarding it and didn't really speak to anyone, so I thought that was a little suspicious. Especially since they were like that since we started playing."

"You're observant." He commented. "That's very good."

"Their posture and body language was all stiff and they looked like they were planning something. I asked Barry if I could talk to him and then Iris went off to talk to someone. He asked what was going on and I explained the situation. He didn't seem to believe me at first until he saw the four of them." I continued.

"Then Barry called me explaining what was going on and that's when the gunshots were fired." Detective West added his part.

"The four robbers said it was a robbery so we all got down on the floor. They told us if we cooperated, none of us would get hurt. They told us to take our valuables and phones out so we couldn't call for help. We didn't move so they fired off a gun again to get us moving."

"Was anyone hurt?" He asked.

"No, they didn't hurt anyone. Then they took everything out of the registers and took what was in the safe of the owner's office. Then the police showed up and they freaked out. They were trying to figure out who called the cops. One guy was at the back entrance so no one could come in or out. One was at the front entrance, and the other two were looking at all of us. Then one points out how I was watching them earlier and they grabbed me. They tried to get me to talk in how I knew, but I told them I didn't know. Then the leader pulls a knife out and presses it into my neck and cut it enough to make me bleed a little." I went on, reliving the horrific moment again. Tears fell down my face and my voice shook. "I thought I was going to die. Right then and there I thought that would be the end. I accepted that and closed my eyes as the knife went a bit deeper, but then he was there. The Flash was there and he saved me. He saved everyone in there."

"Hey," Eddie said gently. "You're safe. It's all over. You helped save a lot of people tonight by noticing them before anyone else did." I let out a shaky breath. "You did real good and helped by keeping this from becoming worse. You did a good thing, Riley."

 _Way to go, Barry. Way to keep them safe. Especially this one_ , Detective West thought. "Thank you for your help, Miss Lewis. Now, I think some friends of yours are wanting to see you." He beckoned a small group forward. It was Nat, Adam, Matt, Todd, and Chloe.

"Riley!" They clamored around me. They were all in hysterics, especially Nat. Her mascara was running down her face and her eyes were red from crying so hard.

"Oh, my God, are you okay?" Nat pulled me into a hug and I buried my face into her shoulder.

"I'm fine." I shook in her arms.

"You're okay." Nat soothed. "You're safe." She rubbed my back in comfort.

"Riley?" A voice called my name. I looked up for the source and found Barry darting around officers to reach me. "Riley!" I let go of Nat and ran towards him. When we reached each other, he engulfed me in an embrace. "Oh, my God. Are you okay?" Relief washed over me as we stood there in each other's arms and the scent of his cologne helped me relax.

"I'm okay." I shakily replied. Barry kept his arms locked around me and he out a shaky sigh of relief.

"You were right." He spoke in gentle tones. "You were right, but we got 'em. God, I was worried sick about you."

"I'm fine." I said again, burying my face into his chest. I felt weak and tired. All I wanted to do was to go home and get what sleep that would come. That's all I wanted. "I want to go home." I shook.

"Okay." He replied softly. "We'll get you home." I kept my face buried as Barry continued to hold me. I felt very safe in his arms. The safest I've been in a long while.


	7. Chapter 7

It was well past midnight before we were all able to go home. Adam and Nat offered to bring my stuff home later because they could see how exhausted I looked. I just wanted to go back home. As Barry was gathering evidence from the crime scene, it seemed as if he could sense my distress. He worked quickly and methodically in gathering evidence. I hardly spoke as the commotion passed around me.

 _Is she going to be okay?_ Nat thought as she kept an arm around me.

"Riley?" Barry spoke gently. I looked up at him. "We need to get you home. You look completely drained." I nodded wearily. That's all I wanted. "I can take you home if you'd like. I may not own a car, but I do have my license." I nodded again.

"I trust you with my car." I said.

"Just give me ten minutes to pack my stuff up and then we can go." Barry agreed. As he left to pack up his CSI equipment, Nat gathered my stuff from inside Jitters.

"You've got yourself one hell of a good man, Riley." Nat gave me a weary smile. I grinned wearily back. I slung my bag over my shoulder and she helped me to my car. Iris also walked beside with a cautious gaze.

"You feeling okay?" Iris asked.

"I'm just really tired and sore." I nodded.

"I'll call Mr. Larkin and let him know what happened. Take it easy, okay? Barry should be here in a bit to take you home."

"Okay." I nodded. My phone rang from my bag and I fished it out. It was my dad.

"Hi, Dad." I answered.

"Riley? Are you okay? We saw what happened on the news. We were worried sick about you!" My dad spoke frantically.

"I'm fine. Just a little cut up and bruised." I assured.

"The news said that you guys were saved by the Flash."

"Yeah, he did." I spoke quietly. "How's Mom?"

"Do you want to talk to her? She might feel more relieved hearing from you."

"That's fine." I agreed. There was a small movement on the other end.

"Are you okay, sweet pea?" I heard my mom's frantic voice.

"For the most part." My voice shook a little. "I got caught up in a hostage situation."

"Did they hurt you?" She asked with worry. I was silent for a few moments. "Riley, did they hurt you?"

"They, um," I took a deep breath. "They grabbed me and one guy held my arms behind my back. They thought I had something to do with calling the police because I saw them act suspicious before everything went down."

"Did you call the police?"

"No. They only grabbed me because I was looking at them a lot."

"What else happened?"

"I wasn't talking much so the leader pulled a knife out and threatened me." My voice wavered. "He, um…held it to my neck and cut it a little."

"Oh, my God." Mom started to break down.

"It's not a serious gash." I tried to reassure her. "The Flash got there before anything serious could've happened."

"We could've lost you." I could hear her sobbing.

"You didn't, though." I smiled weakly. "I'm still here."

"We will forever be in debt to that hero." She replied after some silence. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah." I sighed wearily. "I've got a friend driving me home."

"And who would that be?"

"His name is Barry." I explained. "I met him through a few clients of mine and we hit it off."

"Has he taken you out to lunch yet?"

"Yeah," I chuckled tiredly. "We went out for Chinese yesterday and he paid for it."

"He seems like a good man."

"He is." I agreed, looking out the window to find Barry walking towards the car. "I've got to go, Mom. We're going to be leaving in a bit."

"All right, sweetie." She sighed. "We'll stop by later tomorrow to check up on you."

"Okay." I agreed.

"I love you." She said. "And your father loves you, too."

"I love you both, too."

"Take it easy tonight. Call us if you need anything."

"Okay. Bye, Mom."

"Bye, Riley." She spoke. Then I hung up. I sat in silence and let out a sigh. Barry was right outside talking to Nat. There were a few nods and hand gestures. After a bit Nat gave him a small smile and walked off. Barry opened the door and climbed in, sticking his stuff in the back.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded and handed him the key. "Nat gave me directions to your apartment."

"Don't kill us, okay?" I buckled in.

"I won't." He promised. "I may be rusty, but I can drive a car." He buckled in and started the car, then pulled out of the parking lot.

"How do you get around with no car?" I asked.

"I take the metro mostly." Barry replied. "And I occasionally run." _A lot_. "It's one less car on the road putting out carbon monoxide." _God, really, Barry? Really?_ No, stay out of his head.

"Smart move." I mused, looking ahead and fell silent. The silence was pretty comforting. Occasionally I would sneak a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. I also did the best I could to block his thoughts out.

"How are you feeling?" He asked gently. "I mean like _really feeling_."

"I hurt all over." I numbly answered. "I feel numb about everything, and everything is a little overwhelming."

"Understandable." He agreed. "Did they hurt you?"

"I'm going to have sore arms and neck for the next few days."

"What did they do?" His grip on the wheel tightened.

"One guy pinned my arms behind my back and another pressed a knife against my neck. It's not a serious wound, though." Barry's grip was so tight his knuckles turned white.

"I'm glad you're safe." He spoke after a few moments of silence.

"I have the Flash to be thankful for." I replied. "He got us out of there."

"You should thank him the next time you see him."

"I should, but I don't think he does house visits." I replied.

"You never know." He shrugged. After that we really didn't talk much on the rest of the way to the apartment. I was okay with the silence. I didn't really feel like talking much after everyone kept bombarding me with questions. Barry finally pulled into the parking lot and parked it, shutting the engine off. "Voila." He grinned. "Made it in one piece and not a single scratch."

"I'm impressed." I smiled tiredly.

"It helps to focus when the owner is sitting right next to you." He smiled weakly back, then fell silent for a moment. "Let's get you inside. You look like you're going to pass out on me." I nodded and unbuckled, dragging myself out of the car with my bag. Barry got out, grabbing his stuff and locked the car before handing me my keys. "Lead the way." As I took a step I felt my legs give way a little, but Barry was quick to catch me. "You okay?" I nodded.

"Sorry for falling on you." I apologized wearily. Barry only smiled.

"It's okay." He shrugged it off. "All of the adrenaline is leaving you and exhaustion is setting in." He helped me stand up and we began our walk to the front door. "So how long have you been living here?"

"Almost a year." I yawned. "It's not too bad. Rent's somewhat affordable for a one bedroom apartment and the utilities are paid for. They dropped the prices a bit after the explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs because a lot of people moved out and were worried if there were any affects from the explosion."

"You stayed." He noted.

"I did." I agreed with a small nod. "I didn't really have a whole lot of options that were pet friendly." We reached the front door and Barry held it open for me.

"After you." He said.

"Thanks." I gave a small smile. "So what about you?"

"It's going to sound lame but," He flushed a little red. "I live with Joe."

"It's not lame." I shook my head as we walked to the elevator. "You're a work a lot, so why spend a good chunk of money for a place you won't be at very much?"

"Somebody understands!" Barry let out a huge sigh of relief. "You're the least judgmental person I've ever met."

"I do my best to keep an open mind." I shrugged, calling the elevator.

"Well, thank you." He smiled.

"I try." The doors slid open. We climbed into the elevator and I pressed the button for the ninth floor. There were only ten floors before roof access. Where my unit is located is a good spot, apart from occasional noise from above and below.

"Ninth floor?" Barry asked. I nodded.

"Apartment nine twenty-one." I stated as the doors closed and we began to move.

"You know," Barry began after a few moments of silence. "I imagined a completely different scenario in seeing your apartment for the first time." Then he flushed at what he said. "I-I- I mean a less scary reason of why…what I'm trying to say is…" He slipped his hands into his pockets.

"You wish the reason why we're going to my apartment wasn't because of the events of tonight and making sure I'm safe." I cleaned it for him. He smiled.

"Exactly." He agreed. "It's not weird…is it?"

"No, not at all." I replied. "I think the same thing. Though, I appreciate you're making sure I'm safe."

"It's the least I can do." Barry said as the doors slid open. We walked out and headed towards my unit.

"God, Link is probably flipping out right now." I sighed, pulling my keys out. "He gets a little anxious if I've been gone for a while." Barry let out an amused chuckle.

"So do you know anyone around here?"

"Just my neighbor Thalia." I replied as I led the way. "She lives across the hall from me."

"And no one else?"

"Everyone else is out working, partying, sleeping, doing drugs, or God knows what else what. I don't really see them, nor do I care." The evens were on the left side and the odds were on the right. "We're almost there." I said as we passed unit 913.

 _Fifteen….seventeen…nineteen…twenty-one,_ Barry counted as we walked. I pulled myself out of his mind quickly before I heard anything else. No, stay out of his head! I was losing my control.

"Here we are." I announced as we reached the door. I took my keys and unlocked the door. "Do you want to come in?"

"Sure." He was hesitant at first. I opened the door and turned a lamp on, leading the way in. Barry followed and closed the door behind him.

"Home sweet home." I put my stuff aside and a black mass darted out of my room. I almost screamed if the mass didn't jump on to the couch. I let out a sigh of relief. "God, Link, you scared the shit out of me." Link gazed at me with his yellow eyes and meowed. I walked over and picked him up. "You can set your stuff down, Barry."

"Oh." He snapped back to reality. "Right." Then he set his case down as I walked over to him.

"Barry, this is Link." I introduced. Barry held his hand out to let Link smell him.

"He's cute." He smiled as he scratched him behind his ears. The cat closed his eyes and purred. "Hi, bud." After Barry stopped petting him, I put Link on the couch. "Nice place."

"It's not much, but it's home." I shrugged. I pointed out to him where everything was at, including my bedroom where he suck a peak.

"Geek lair?" He smiled.

"Very much." I nodded.

"I like it." His eyes wandered over to my easel where I currently had a painting in progress. Against the wall were a few other paintings I completed. "Did you paint all of these?" I nodded. "Can I look?"

"Go ahead." I said. "I'm going to go change, though."

"Okay." He walked over to them as I headed to my room and shut the door. As I peeled out of my clothes, my mind kept flashing back to tonight. I could still feel the blade on my neck and the fear that paralyzed me. I changed into my Hufflepuff sweatpants and a shirt that read 'I do marathons…on Netflix'. I walked back out into the living room where Barry was waiting.

"Your paintings are really good. They're amazing." He spoke as he turned around. I stared at Barry and tried to speak, but nothing came out. "Riley? You okay?"

"I thought I was going to die tonight." I managed to speak. "I thought I was done for." Barry walked up and pulled me into a hug. I completely broke down in his arms.

"It's okay." He gently spoke. "You're safe. Just let it out."

"I keep seeing him every time I close my eyes." I sobbed. I wondered why I didn't cry after being rescued. I hadn't fully registered how close to death I was until now.

"You're safe." He murmured. "I'm right here. Nothing is going to happen to you." I held on to Barry. "Do you have any tea you want me to make?"

"Um," I hiccupped after calming down. "Sure. I've got some in the cabinets in the kitchen." I hiccupped again.

"Okay." He smiled at me and took my hand. "Let's go get you some tea." We walked to the kitchen where Barry spent a few minutes locating cups and the tea. He pulled out two mugs and two bags of Sleepy Time tea. I took the kettle and filled it with water, then stuck it on the stove to heat it up. Barry walked over to me and pulled me into a hug again.

"Can you stay?" I asked, my voice slightly muffled.

"Of course." He replied.

"I know it's a weird question to ask, but I don't know if anything runs this late and I don't want you to walk home this late." The truth was that I was afraid of being alone.

"It's not a weird question." He gently rubbed my back. "To be honest, I was concerned about leaving you alone tonight."

"That makes two of us." I sighed, relaxing into his arms.

"I'll stay." He rested his chin on top of my head. "I'm not going anywhere." Once the water boiled, Barry poured it into the mugs and steeped the tea bags. As he did that, I headed back into my room to grab a pillow off of my bed and a few blankets from my closet for Barry to use. When I walked back to the living room he was sitting on the couch with the two mugs of tea before him; coat hanging up and his shoes were lined up neatly by the door.

"I brought you a pillow and some blankets." I said while putting them beside the couch. Then I sat down next to Barry and took my tea.

"Thank you." He took his mug as well and eyed my collection of games I had for my Xbox. "I never took you for the gaming type." I raised a brow.

"You saw my geek lair." I sipped my tea.

"And?" Barry pointed out. "Someone could be incredibly geeky with TV shows, movies, comic books, and not play games."

"Well, I happen to be the type that plays games as well." I stated. Barry took a closer look at them.

"You play Assassin's Creed _and_ Skyrim?" He gaped at me.

"Yeah, so?" I shrugged. "I'm a level sixty wood elf who is in charge of the Thieves' Guild. Still have a ways to work on it, though."

"Oh, my God, that is incredibly attractive." He breathed.

"Plus if I'm having a shitty day, I take all of that stress out on Templars and guards." I added. "It's quite stress-relieving actually." Barry browsed more through my games.

"Both Portal games, years one through seven in Lego Harry Potter, Lego Lord of the Rings, Lego the Hobbit, Desolation of Smaug, all of the Assassin's Creed series, Mirror's Edge…" He trailed off. "Red Dead Redemption…"

"That one's incredibly glitch with humans and animals, but it's quite hilarious."

"Like the cougar man, bird people, donkey lady, and the flying bears?" Barry's eyes shone with excitement.

"Don't forget the catapulting horse carriages."

"Oh, my God, I'm impressed." He sat back on the sofa.

"I aim to please." I drank more of my tea.

"How impressive is your taste in Netflix?" He eyed suspiciously while drinking his tea.

"How I Met Your Mother, Firefly, Scrubs, Psych, Heroes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, the IT Crowd, the Walking Dead, Supernatural, and Sherlock."

"I think you'd be Cisco's new best friend." He chuckled. "And if he ever goes to Comic Con, you'd be the first person he'd ask to go."

"Seriously? He's into all of that?"

"He's in skin deep." Barry nodded. "Like, sell your soul to the devil just to go to Comic Con."

"San Diego's on my bucket list." I put in.

"I'll keep that in mind." He mused thoughtfully. After we talked a bit I decided to turn an episode of _How I Met Your Mother_ on. Barry seemed pretty into it.

"If you wake up with a cat on your face, I'm sorry." I yawned, fighting to stay awake. Barry chuckled in amusement.

"It's okay if you fall asleep." He said. "I'm surprised you've made it this long, actually."

"You sure?" I mumbled sleepily.

"I'm sure." He agreed. I scooted close to him and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Barry?"

"Hmm?"

"You have a comfy shoulder." My eyelids drooped, eventually closing shut. I heard Barry chuckle in amusement before completely succumbing to the sleep.

* * *

I slept soundlessly throughout the night. When I woke up, I found myself in my bed. How did I get here? The last thing I remember was sitting on the couch with Barry and… _Barry!_ I quickly got out of bed and headed to the living room. The pillow and blankets I let Barry use were folded neatly on the couch. Barry was nowhere in sight.

"Thank God you're finally awake." Nat came out of the kitchen. "I thought you would sleep all day."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"A quarter after twelve." She replied. "I brought your stuff over this morning. Barry helped bring them in." I noticed my guitars, amp, and tub of cords off to the side. "He wanted to stay, but he had to go to the police station. He said he would come back later when he's done, though." I felt a sinking feeling in my chest. "So what did you two do when he brought you home?"

"I showed him around." I began to explain. "Then I changed into my pajamas, we made some tea, talked, tried to watch How I Met Your Mother, but I fell asleep on him, and that was it. Pretty sure he carried me to my bed."

"You didn't kiss?" She sounded disappointed. I shook my head.

"No, but he did hold me when I cried from overcoming the shock." I replied.

"That's sweet." Nat gushed.

"Yeah." I smiled sheepishly. Nat's eyes went wide.

"You really like him." She squealed. "Oh, my God, you _really_ like him. You do because you're blushing!"

"I do." I flushed.

"More important things; are you okay after last night?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I nodded. "I'm going to grab a quick bite and shower. My parents are coming over later to check on me." I headed into the kitchen to fix myself something. "So what happened with you and Adam after Jitters?"

"Not a whole lot." Nat replied. "We got your stuff, headed home, took a shower, and went to bed."

"No sex?" I raised my brows.

"No sex." She shook her head. "We were too freaked out and worried about you."

"Understandable." I agreed, pulling some ham from the fridge and bread from the pantry.

"The police are probably going to want us at the trial. Especially you." I pulled two slices of bread out and some ham from the package.

"Because it'll be my word against them." I nodded as I made my sandwich.

"Then they'll put those bastards behind bars for good." I was silent for a bit. "You okay, Riley?"

"I am, but I'm not." I put the ham and bread away. "We were held hostage last night and I had a knife held to my neck and it cut it a little bit. I have bruises on my arms from where they grabbed me and every time I close my eyes I can still see that bastard." Nat came up and hugged me.

"You didn't die." Nat spoke softly. "You were saved by the Flash. You are damn lucky on that." I gave a weak smile. "What was he like?"

"Fast." I replied. Nat whack my playfully on the arm.

"No shit, Sherlock." She laughed. "What else?"

"Very warm." I described. "But he was strong and gentle. He made me feel safe."

"Do you think you'll ever see him again?"

"I hope so. I have to thank him for saving my life."

"I'm sure you'll get that opportunity" Nat smiled. After I ate my sandwich I had a small serving of chips. Then after that I took a much-needed shower. I scrubbed, shaved, and rinsed off. With a towel wrapped around me, I headed into my room and changed into jeans and a Doctor Who t-shirt. As I finished changing, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Is this Riley Lewis?" A man asked from the other end.

"Yes, this is Riley."

"Riley, it's Eric Larkin from CCPN." The man spoke. Oh, my God, it was my boss.

"Hi, Mr. Larkin." I greeted.

"How are you doing? I heard about what happened last night." Mr. Larkin asked.

"I'm a little banged up, but I'm okay." I replied.

"Are you sure? That was traumatic event. If you need some time off to recover I'm more than willing to do so."

"No, sir, I'm fine." I reassured him. "I'm a little banged up, but you can expect me to be there tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely sure."

"Well, rest up tonight and take it easy." Mr. Larkin replied.

"Will do, sir." I agreed.

"All right, have a good day and I'll see you tomorrow."

"You, too, Mr. Larkin." Then we hung up.

"Who was that?" Nat asked, popping her head in.

"My boss making sure I'm okay."

"Well that was nice of him." She replied as I walked out. I shrugged.

"He said he heard about last night and said if I needed time to recover he would let me."

"And?"

"I told him I'd be at work tomorrow." I replied. "Want to make a good first impression."

"I swear you being a perfectionist is going to be your downfall someday." Nat replied with some bitterness.

"My bad, I like to work hard so I do a good job at something." I plopped on the couch. Link jumped up and sat in my lap. "I just try so hard to make everything perfect."

"Everything can't be perfect, though." Nat sat next to me. "Just take things easy or you'll burn yourself out."

"Okay." I reluctantly agreed. We sat around for the rest of the day and my parents stopped by with food they had made for dinner. They were constantly fretting about me, but I assured them I was fine. They did leave eventually somewhere close to five. Mom had to get some work done and Dad was preparing an example for a project he was teaching to his students. Nat had to leave as well, but she gave me a hug.

"Barry should be here soon." She smiled. "Good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks." I gave her a small smile. "Good luck with Adam."

"And you take it easy." She replied. I nodded in agreement and she left. I was alone for about an hour until there was a knock at the door. Curious, I looked in the peephole and my heart skipped a beat. It was Barry. I opened the door and he stood there smiling at me.

"Hey." I hitched a breath, smiling at him.

"Hi." He was still smiling." I would've come earlier, but I got held up at work."

"It's not a problem." I folded my arms over my chest. "You didn't miss anything except my parents were over for a bit." Barry slipped his hands into his pockets.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." He explained.

"I'm doing better today, thanks." I replied. "Do you want to come in?"

"Sure." He smiled. I moved out of the way for him to come in. Barry walked in and I closed the door behind him.

"Have you had dinner yet?" I asked. "My parents brought a big ol' container of chicken gnocchi my mom made. It's my comfort food."

"Is it Olive Garden worthy?"

"Even better." I headed into the kitchen as Barry followed.

"Oh, my God, yes!" He exclaimed. "Your mom is officially awesome in my book."

"Just because she made gnocchi?"

"Because the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Barry grinned. Wow, Mom wasn't kidding when she said that.

"I will keep that in mind." I quipped as I dished two bowls of gnocchi out. Then I stuck them both in the microwave for a few minutes. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Sure, what do you have?" He asked.

"Iced tea, lemonade, some Arbor Mist Blackberry wine, some juice, some Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew, and water from the tap." I studied the shelves in the fridge.

"Iced tea is fine." He replied. I pulled the jug out and poured it into two cups. I handed Barry a glass then pulled the soup from the microwave." Thank you." He took a bowl.

"Feel free to help yourself to as much as you want. My mom made more than enough." I took a spoonful of the soup and ate it. Barry took a bite and closed his eyes.

"Oh, my God." He groaned. "This is delicious." He took another bite.

"Do you need to be left alone?" I giggled.

"Maybe." Barry flashed smile. I let out an amused chuckle. "But it's just so damn good." We sat down at the table and continue eating dinner. It was quiet at times, but we continued talking. After we ate we cleaned up. Barry decided to be a gentleman and wash the dishes for me.

"You don't have to do that." I began to protest. Barry shook his head.

"No, I got it." He replied. "You offered dinner and this is me saying thanks."

"You don't have to." I tried to reason with him, but it was no good. Barry blocked me from the sink with his body.

"Try all you want, but it's not going to work." He smirked. "You know, most women would be happy if a guy did the dishes for her."

"Well I'm not most women." I chuckled. "I do appreciate the gesture, though."

"You're welcome." Barry gave a small smile. _You're right. You're not like most women, but that's what I like about you._

"Well if you're washing, then I'm drying." I grabbed a towel from the drawer I keep rags in.

"Good enough for me." He agreed. I grabbed a dish and proceeded to dry and put it away. "So you're ready for tomorrow? First day at CCPN, right?"

"Yeah, tomorrow's my first day." I nodded. "Nervous, but ready for it. At least I'd have a paying job, according to my mom."

"Yet she married an art teacher." I replied. "Still baffles me."

"She'll come around."

"Hopefully."

"She will." Barry replied. "I'm sure of it." We continued to do the dishes together. Suddenly Barry took a handful of bubbles and blew it in my face. A little bit landed on my face and he laughed. I took my towel and tossed it at him.

"Jerk." I laughed. Barry took the towel and threw it back at me, then blew more bubbles at me. I laughed and wiped them off my face. He smiled at me. "What?" I asked.

"You missed a spot." He spoke while wiping his hands. He reached over hesitantly and gently wiped the rest away with his thumb. My skin tingled where he touched my cheek and I felt my face heat up. Barry looked away sheepishly. "Sorry."

"You're fine." I reassured him.

"Okay." He quietly agreed. _Too forward? Too soon?_ His mind fluttered with anxiety. I wish I could tell him, but I can't find the words. Again, we went back to cleaning up in silence. I could feel Barry's edginess seeping out. I wanted to tell him it was okay. Once we finished, Barry drained the sinks.

"Thank you." I spoke with gentleness.

"Yeah," He replied. "Any time." We walked out into the living room together where Link was perched on his tower. "I should probably head home." He let out a sigh. "I've got an early day tomorrow for work."

"I can relate." I agreed.

"You sure you're feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm much better."

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay after last night." He replied. "And to wish you good luck for tomorrow."

"Thank you," I looked up at him. "For everything. I know I say it a lot, but I really do mean it." Barry looked down at me and smiled gently. He slowly took a hand and slipped his into mine. His thumb lightly ran across my knuckles and my heart sped up.

"Least I can do." He murmured. Barry was close enough that his breath tickled my face. His eyes were very green up close. I could feel us drawing close to each other. We were just inches away from each other and I closed my eyes.

It never came. Instead there was a loud noise from Link as he jumped up on to the ledge of the couch and meowed loudly. We both jumped back, startled and breathing a little hard.

" _Shit!_ " I gasped in alarm. Barry looked at Link and chuckled quietly.

"God damn it, Link." He still held my hand. I buried my face into his shoulder and laughed as well. Barry wrapped an arm around me and I could feel him smiling into my hair. "Your cat's a turd."

"He just wants attention because I'm not giving him any." I chuckled. Barry kept his arms around me.

"I think he's jealous."

"Knowing him? Probably." I mused, looking up at him. "He's used to being the only guy around here." I gave him a small smile and he smiled back.

"Good luck tomorrow."

"Thank you." I replied. "You, too." Barry pulled me into a hug and I felt a soft kiss on my cheek. My face burned at the feeling.

"Call me if you need anything."

"I will." I replied. He finally released me from the hug and he headed towards the door.

"Maybe we can hang out tomorrow afterward." He suggested, opening the door.

"I like that idea." I nodded.

"Okay." He agreed. "Goodnight, Riley."

"Goodnight, Barry." I replied. He smiled, then closed the door behind him. I stood there smiling like an idiot. My hand went up to my cheek where I could still feel the kiss, tingling as if a current of electricity was running through it.


	8. Chapter 8

Sleep evaded from me again that night. I was too anxious about my first day and the fact that Barry kissed my cheek before he left. Frustrated with the lack of sleep, I got out of bed, grabbed my phone and guitar, and then headed to the roof.

**Sleep's evading me again.**

I sent Barry the text and waited for a reply, but never got one. I didn't expect to since it was late. I made my way to the roof with my guitar in hand. The night air was refreshing and cool when I stepped outside. I loved it up here. Central City was exceptionally beautiful at night with the lights dotting the streets. Even the shell of S.T.A.R. Labs looked majestic.

I sat down on a wooden bench someone brought up to the roof before I first moved in. The wood creaked a bit as I sat down and pulled the pick out of the neck of the guitar. I strummed a few chords to check the tuning. After a few adjustments I settled with whatever came to me. The sound of my guitar brought a sense of peace to me. Every ounce of worry, stress, and frustration I had completely disappeared.

I must've been out on the roof for at least an hour. It got colder and I finally grew tired so I headed inside. Link was curled up on my bed fast asleep when I climbed in. I gently scratched him behind the ears and he woke up sleepily. Once he saw who woke him up, he crawled up next to me and fell back asleep. He has it so easy. I was able to fall into a deep sleep, but nightmares plagued me.

When I woke up to my alarm blaring at me, I felt stiff and sore all over. I didn't want to get up, but I had no choice. Unwillingly, I got up and got breakfast. I did my routine and fed Link his breakfast. Coffee was brewing in the pot while I scrounged the closet for something to wear. I found nice slim khakis, black Jerry Bootie lace up combat boots from Gordmans, a navy blue blouse, and my black leather jacket. I put on some deodorant and perfume I got from Avon. Nat was my Avon lady.

When I finished getting ready, I brushed my hair and teeth, then grabbed a travel mug and filled it with coffee. After making sure that I had everything I needed, I set for my car. Once my door was locked, I headed down to the parking lot. The weather was chilly and unforgiving this morning. The cold nipped at my nose and stung my cheeks.

"Holy shit, it's cold." I shivered at the cold. I hurried to my car and unlocked it, then climbed in. I started the car and let it warm up a bit. My coffee was hot and refreshing as I sipped it. It warmed me up and sent a tingle through me.

As I drove, my nerves started to hit me. My stomach felt like there was a weight of lead sitting at the bottom. Relax. That's all I needed to do. Everything is going to be completely fine. I heard my text notification and pulled my phone out. It was from Barry.

**Good luck today! You got this.**

I smiled to myself.

**Thanks! Now if only I could stop being so nervous I'd be fine.**

**You'll be fine. We can get coffee later to celebrate your first day.**

**I'd like that.**

**Good luck.**

When I reached the CCPN parking lot, I pulled in and parked at an empty spot. Several cars were around me and people were arriving. I put the car in park and shut the engine off. My heart was pounding in my chest. I took a deep breath and grabbed my stuff, climbing out of the car. Cold air greeted me as I stepped out and shut the door.

"Riley!" A cheerful voice called my name. Turning around, I found Iris walking away from a car.

"Hey, Iris." I greeted with a smile.

"You ready?" She asked as she approached.

"I'm a little nervous, but yeah I'm ready." I replied.

"Mr. Larkin isn't that bad." She assured. "He's a really nice guy. As long as you do what you're told and get your work in on time, you'll be fine. Andrew's also a great photographer. He'll help you out and answer any questions."

"Okay." I took a deep breath. Iris linked an arm around mine.

"We'll see Barry later." She grinned.

"Wha-?" I blushed.

"He doesn't shut up about you." She explained. "Plus, it's all over your face."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only if you know what you're looking for." Iris smiled. "When we take a lunch break, let's go get Thai food."

"Sounds good to me." I agreed as we walked to the front entrance of CCPN. "Anyone I should watch out for?"

"Barry's ex, Linda Park, works in the sports section. She's nice, but really competitive. My advisor, Mason Bridge, can be a bit of a douche bag, but he's okay. Just watch out for Anna Brinkman in the advice column. She's a nasty piece of work." Iris explained.

"Duly noted." I sighed.

"You'll be fine." She noticed my nerves. We reached the front door and she held it open as I proceeded inside. CCPN was a very large open area with hardwood floors, plaster walls decorated with iconic articles, and dozens of cubicles where reporters were typing vigorously at their computers. One end was an open stock room. The other end had a small platform with a few steps. The other end had a small platform with a few steps. On the platform was a long glass conference table with several chairs around it. A few people were working away at the table on notepads. One man was standing at the end overseeing everything.

"This is it." Iris gestured around us. "That's Larkin over there." She followed my gaze. "We're a small place, but we still get what needs to be done." She led me over to where Larkin was at. He was an older gentleman with graying hair, blue eyes, and a bit of a gut. He appeared friendly, though. "Good morning, Mr. Larkin."

"Ah, Iris," Larkin looked up with a smile. "Good morning to you, too. Any new stories about the Flash?"

"I have one in the works." Iris replied. _I wish he'd give me other things to write about. I can write about on other things than just the Flash_.

"Good to hear." Larkin smiled. "And you must be Riley." He stuck a hand out and I shook it.

"Yes I am." I greeted with a smile. "Nice to finally meet you, sir. And thank you for the job."

"Thank Iris for pointing us in the right direction." Larkin chuckled.

"Oh I've made sure I've done that several times." I replied.

"Anything to help you out." She smiled.

"Let's get you set up." Larkin suggested.

"See you at lunch." Iris said. "Good luck, Riley." I followed Larkin over to the desks as Iris headed to her own desk.

"You'll be working with Andrew Peters, he's our other photographer. He's good, but his photos aren't as good from the ones Iris showed me that you took." He explained as we walked along. "For today, just shadow and he can show you the ropes."

"Sounds like an excellent plan." I agreed.

"We're thrilled to have you here. Iris showed me your work and it's absolutely incredible. You really capture every minute detail. Perhaps you can help get an award winning shot of the Flash."

"I'll do my best and I'm always up for a challenge."

"That's the spirit!" Larkin enthused. "You don't see that much attitude with Andrew."

"Well, I take my photography seriously." I shrugged.

"Good attitude." Larkin led me over to a man with copper hair and a lean build, staring intently at his monitor. "Andrew?" The man looked up. "This is Riley Lewis, the other photographer we recently hired. Can you show her around today and help get her set up?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Larkin." Andrew nodded.

"Great, I'll leave you to it." Larkin clasped his hands together. "Miss Lewis, if you need anything I'm right over there." He pointed in the direction of his desk.

"Duly noted." I nodded.

"Have a good day and welcome to CCPN." Larkin headed back to his desk. Andrew stood up and stuck a hand out.

"Hi." He greeted with a smile. "Andrew Peters. Welcome to CCPN."

"Riley Lewis, pleased to meet you." I shook his hand.

"Forgive me, but I completely imagined you being different."

"Such as me being a guy?"

"Umm." Andrew was hesitant. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Nah, you're fine." I reassured him. "I get that from time to time."

"Great." He agreed. "So where did you go to school?"

"I went to CCU." I replied.

"Good school." Andrew agreed. "I went to Hudson. Class of 2010."

"I've heard good things about Hudson." I noted. "It was one of the schools I was considering."

"You missed out on so much!" He chuckled.

"We'll see on that." I chuckled as well.

"Let's get you set up." He instructed. "We've got an empty desk close by for you." He led me over to a small set of desks, one close to the wall. "Jodi Prescott from Foods will be your desk mate, but you'll still be working with me. Nearly all the photos you'll take will be for the front page if Larkin likes them enough. Or if anyone asks for a photo for an important article, no matter what section they're from, you'll take those as well."

"So sporting events, festivals, stuff about the Flash..." I listed.

"Those would be perfect examples." Andrew nodded. "Larkin is huge on the Flash so if you get a good shot of him, Larkin will love you forever." Andrew took me on a tour of CCPN, showing where I'd be working at and what equipment I'd use. It was a lot to remember and very overwhelming, but after a few weeks I'm sure I could handle it. We worked together on proofs and he asked my opinion on photos to help get me started in what I'd do.

According to him, I had a very good eye in picking out detail. By the time noon rolled around my stomach was growling for hunger. I waited around for Iris at my desk and she greeted me with a smile.

"How's it going so far?" Iris asked.

"Not too bad." I replied. "A bit overwhelming at times, but good overall."

"That's good to hear." She nodded. "Ready for lunch?"

"Yeah, I'm starving." I grabbed my bag and swung it over my shoulder.

"Good, so am I." We headed towards the front door. As we made our way, I accidentally bumped into a woman with a small stack of folders. The contents spilled out and scattered all over the floor.

"Oh, my God, I'm so sorry." I apologized, stooping to my knees to help clean up my mess.

"You're fine, I wasn't paying much attention." The woman looked up. She had long, wavy dark hair with dark eyes, a slightly rounded face, and an annoyed expression she did her best to hide.

"No, it's my fault. I'm still trying to navigate around the place." I assured her.

"Ah, you're the new photographer." She realized. "I'm Linda Park. I work in Sports." My mouth went a little dry.

"I'm Riley Lewis." I replied. Linda stuck a hand out and I shook it.

"I see you already know Iris." She looked up and a quick flash of hostility was in her eyes.

"Linda." Iris nodded once.

"Iris." Linda returned. "How's Barry?"

"Barry's fine." Iris replied with some stiffness. There were a few moments of silence that were filled with tension. If it went any longer I swear a cat fight would've broke out.

"Well," I cleared my throat, handing Linda her papers. "It was nice to meet you, Linda. Sorry for bumping into you, again." Linda looked away from Iris and took her papers.

"It was nice to meet you, too." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'll see you around some time." She stood up and left. I stood up as well, not sure what to say.

"Sorry about that." Iris smiled apologetically. "Let's go get some Thai food."

"Sure." I nodded and followed Iris out.

"We'll take my car." She led me to her vehicle. Iris unlocked her car and we climbed in, buckling our seatbelts. "Lind and I aren't exactly the best of friends as you may have noticed."

"Yeah, I noticed that." I replied. "She's the one Barry dated, right?"

"Yeah, they dated for a while." Iris nodded as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "To be honest, I didn't quite like the two of them together. She was really competitive and hard. I can understand that because of her job, but she was just really competitive."

"I see." I nodded.

"She blames me for being the reason why they split."

"Well, were you?"

"I don't know…maybe." She flushed. "Barry for a while liked me a lot, but I only saw him as a friend. Then he started to date Linda and he was really happy. Then it got hard for him to balance work and relationships. I'm only preparing you on this if your friendship becomes something more."

"Understandable." I nodded.

"You're really good for Barry, though." Iris put in. "He talks about you all the time when we hang out. There's this light that flips on inside him when we talk about you or when you're around him. He was worried sick about you after the hostage situation at Jitters. When I was visiting him, my dad, and Eddie at work yesterday he kept pacing around his lab like a caged animal."

"Really?" My eyes went wide.

"Really." Iris nodded. "You'd be able to give him something Linda wasn't able to."

"What would that be?"

"Hope. Actual hope and happiness." Iris replied. _If I had known earlier about how he felt about me, maybe I would've been with him instead of Eddie_.

"Well hopefully it'll become that." I gave a hopeful smile.

"I hope so, too." Iris agreed. Eventually she pulled us into the parking lot of the restaurant and found a spot, shutting the car off. "God, I'm starving for food."

"Same here." I replied as we got out of the car. Noodles sound really good right now. When we got inside it was a little bus, but we were able to order food. I placed my order of chicken Pad Thai while Iris placed her order. We got our drinks and then sat down at a table.

We sat around and talked about random things; how Iris met Eddie, how Barry was struck by lightning and fell into a coma, how Harrison Wells took him to S.T.A.R. Labs, how Barry woke up after nine months, and the Flash. Iris wanted to know a little more about me so I told her about my family and how my sister was expecting with her third child. I talked about what my parents do for a living and how my mom and I have a strained relationship.

"She doesn't exactly approve of my photography business or my band." I sighed. "She wants me to be more like my sister."

"I'm sorry to hear about that." Iris replied bitterly. "My mom passed away when I was little so I didn't have much of a relationship with her either." I noticed a gold band hanging on a chain around her neck.

"Is that her wedding band?" I asked.

"A replica." She nodded. "Barry gave it to me for Christmas. I lost my mom's original one on a field trip to the zoo when we were in the fifth grade."

"That's thoughtful of him." I complimented. Our food arrived shortly after that and we ate away. The food was absolutely delicious and refreshing. We talked some more while we ate lunch. Iris's phone suddenly rang after we finished eating.

"Sorry." She smiled apologetically as she pulled it out of her purse.

"No, you're fine." I waved it away. She answered her phone.

"Iris West." She spoke. I looked out the window at the people walking by. "Hi, Mr. Larkin." Iris was quiet for a moment and her eyes widened. "What? Where? 1607 Winter Street? That's close to here." Iris looked at me. 'Get your camera ready'. She mouthed. "We're on it." Then she hung up.

"What's going on?" I asked as we stood up, quickly gathering our stuff.

"There's a fire over at Bowman Labs." Iris explained. Bowman Labs was a top notch researching science lab run by Dr. Victor Bowman. It was in competition with S.T.A.R. Labs and Mercury Labs, but because of the explosion, now only Bowman and Mercury are competing against each other. Rumor has it Bowman does unethical testing, but no one knows on what.

" _The_ Bowman Labs? Run by Dr. Victor Bowman?"

"That's the one." She nodded. "If there's a disaster then there's a chance the Flash will be there. Plus an opportunity to get your feet wet." I scrambled and threw my trash away and we hurried out of the restaurant to Iris's car.

"Is it always like this?" I asked as we ran to her car and climbed in.

"Not always!" Excitement was in her eyes. "You're luck this happened on your first day. Mine sucked!" We buckled in and Iris started the car. I grabbed my camera bag and pulled the camera out, along with a lens. The more we drove, the more I felt excitement run through me. Within a few minutes we came around a corner and saw thick black smoke pouring from a very tall glass building. Enormous flames were licking the sides of the building on the top floors. People were screaming and scrambling to get to safety. The police put up barriers to prevent traffic getting close and firefighters were battling with the blaze.

"Oh, my God." Iris breathed. She pulled over to a clear spot and shut her car off. "Come on, you got your camera ready?" We unbuckled and scrambled out of the car.

"Ready to go." We ran down to the block to the edge of the barricade. The smell of smoke reached my nose as we approached.

"Stay back!" An officer ordered. "Behind the barriers!" I switched my camera on and waited frantically.

"Come on, come on, come on." I pleaded at my camera to move faster. Finally it was on and I proceeded to take pictures. My finger rapidly hit the button as I took multiple shots.

"Iris? What are you doing here? It's not safe!" Eddie's familiar voice spoke over the crowd. He approached us from between a few officers.

"Eddie!" Iris hurried over to her boyfriend. "We were out at lunch and Larkin called us." Eddie ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"Stay behind the barricade. Do _not_ go in there under any circumstances." He ordered. "And that goes for you as well, Riley."

"I plan on staying, intact, Detective Thawne." I gave a small smile.

 _At least someone here cares about being safe_ , Eddie thought. Suddenly there was a huge explosion from the top few floors. More smoke and fire emerged from the building and glass rained down on us. Screams could be heard from up above.

"Oh, God." I looked in horror. "Eddie, people are still up there."

"Oh, God…" He was mortified. There was a sudden gust of wind and a streak of yellow lightning trailed into the building. A rush of adrenaline ran through me as I held my breath.

"Come on, come on, come on." I pleaded quietly. Seconds felt like hours as we waited. Time passed by slowly as we stood still. About a minute later, the flames were extinguished. I let out a sigh of relief and I knew I wasn't the only one. Minutes later, people emerged from the building. People around us erupted into cheers. Almost distracted, I grabbed my camera again and started taking pictures rapidly. Then _he_ came out.

The Flash emerged from the building behind the people he saved. I rapidly took pictures, trying to get at least one shot of him. As I took them, I suddenly stopped. He was staring right at me. He was staring right at me and was _smiling_. I brought my camera down and looked straight back at him. The Flash nodded and then he sped off. I stood there completely dumbstruck.

"Riley," Iris got my attention. "Did you get anything?" I looked down at the camera screen. There on the screen was an image of the Flash walking out of the building and it was a clear shot.


	9. Chapter 9

When we got back to CCPN Andrew was waiting by my desk.

"I heard what happened." He spoke urgently. "Did you get anything?"

"Yeah, I was able to get some shots." I nodded.

"Great, I can't wait to see what you got." He replied. _If she's as good as Larkin says, I might be looking at some competition. If she snagged a picture of the Flash, I might as well find a new job. Where's they find her, anyway? That Iris chick? She only got her job here because Larkin likes her blog._ I felt a pang of anger hit me. I bottled everything in me to resist slapping him right there in front of everyone. Yet, I also felt guilty.

"I'll send them to you later." I blinked, clearing my train of thought.

"Sounds good." Andrew shrugged. "Take your time." I nodded in agreement. "I'll be at my desk if you need me." After he left, I sat in my chair and sighed. If I show Larkin my photo of the Flash, he'll flip. Then it'll risk Andrew to lose his job. If I don't show it, how else am I going to survive here? This isn't going to be fun.

* * *

For the rest of the day I pulled the pictures I took from the Bowman fire off of my camera. I wasn't sure about the photo of the Flash so I stuck it on a personal flash drive I keep with me. I touched up the other photos a little bit and sent them to Andrew so he could look over them. He replied back saying that I did a good job and the photos looked great.

When five rolled around, Iris and I were ready to leave to meet Barry and Eddie at Jitters. She offered to drive us there and I agreed. I was itching to see Barry again.

"I think Barry's just as anxious to see you again." Iris chuckled in amusement.

"God damn it, am I really that obvious?" I sighed with a frown.

"Like I said earlier," Iris smiled. "Only if you know what you're looking for." After we said our goodbyes to our coworkers I once again headed out to Iris's car. We climbed in, bucked as the car was started, then drove to Jitters. "Did you get any good pictures today?"

"Yeah, I got a few good ones." I replied. "I showed them to Andrew and he liked them."

"With your pictures and my articles, we could make a pretty badass team." Iris grinned.

"West and Lewis…" I said aloud, contemplating on it. "It has a nice ring to it."

"Or Lewis and West." She pointed out.

"Nah, West and Lewis is better. They always put the writer first." I disagreed.

"You're too kind." Iris chuckled. She babbled on about her day as we headed over to Jitters. She was working on the story of the Bowman Corporate fire, but she had a side project going on. People were disappearing off the streets. So those rumors were true. "That place has some fishy people over there." Iris noticed my questioning look. "Ever since they opened their doors, people have been on their ass about unethical testing."

"Such as?"

"God, where to begin on that?" She sighed. "There are former employees who claimed their research was stolen or their projects at first were going to help the world. Now they said Bowman has a malicious intent of using them."

"Like biochemical warfare?"

"Exactly." She nodded.

"Why doesn't anyone doesn't anyone do anything about it?" I asked. "Surely someone would have noticed and take action."

"They would if Bowman didn't donate to Hudson University or supported the mayor's re-election campaign two years ago." Iris explained.

"Ah," I realized. "That would do it." Iris nodded again.

"When you're out and about," She cautioned. "Be extremely careful. Central City may not be Starling City, but there's still some pretty bad people out there."

"Duly noted." I nodded in agreement. Iris pulled into the parking lot and parked the car before shutting the engine off. We climbed out of the car and headed inside where Barry and Eddie were waiting. My stomach flipped at the sight of Barry.

"Hey, you two." Eddie greeted us. Eddie pulled Iris into an embrace and kissed her.

"Hi, babe." Iris smiled at him. Barry gave me a dazzling smile and my heart sped up.

"Hey." He smiled at me, casually rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Hey, yourself." I smiled back and pulled him into a gentle hug. I felt a small buzz run through me.

_God, I missed her_ , Barry sighed. I almost wanted to tell him I missed him, too. We released each other, but couldn't help smiling at each other again.

"So how was your first day?" He asked.

"It was good." I replied. "A little overwhelming at times, but it was good."

"And," Iris added. "Riley got to experience some action out in the field today."

"Really now?" Barry raised his eyebrows. "Was it the Bowman fire?" I nodded.

"She got some pretty good shots up there." Iris replied with a smile.

"Sounds like a pretty good first day on the job." Barry agreed.

"Not too bad." I also agreed.

"Well I say this calls for some coffee." Eddie put in. We all agreed with him and headed over to the counter.

"I'll pay for yours." Barry spoke. "My treat."

"What? No, you don't have to do that." I began to protest.

"Too late." He grinned as we approached the counter. I made a face at him, but he only laughed.

"What can I get you this evening?" The barista asked.

"I'll have a hazelnut mocha and whatever the lady wants." Barry ordered his. I blushed a little.

"I'll have a vanilla latte." I ordered mine.

"What, no caramel macchiato?" Barry raised his brows.

"You did say 'Whatever the lady wants'." I pointed out.

"Yes I did." He replied and paid for our coffee. "I deliberately planned that."

"Sure you did." I laughed. We found a couch to sit at while Iris and Eddie ordered theirs. We plopped down and waited. "I saw the Flash today at the fire." I spoke.

"Really?" He perked up a little bit.

"I mean like I _really_ saw him." I felt a grin sneak up. "He was coming out of the building after the fire was out and I was taking pictures."

"And?" He asked with curiosity.

"He looked right at me."

"What? No way."

"He did! I was taking pictures and he looked right at me and acknowledged I was there." Barry gave a skeptical look.

"You're kidding."

"I have proof." I pulled my laptop out.

"Do you, now?"

"I do." I turned it on and scooted close to him. His breath tickled my cheek as he looked down. I grabbed my flash drive and plugged it in. I pulled the photo up and showed Barry. He leaned in and looked at the screen.

"Holy shit." He breathed. "You actually got him." Something flickered in his eyes. "Have you shown this to your editor?"

"No." I shook my head looking at him.

"Why not?"

"It…doesn't feel right." I shrugged. "I feel like I got lucky on my first day. I feel like I should have to work for it instead of having it handed to me on a silver platter. And I'm getting the impression the photographer might not like me as much as I hoped."

"What makes you think that?" Barry asked. "I think that's crazy if someone doesn't like you. I like you."

"Well, apparently there are people out there who don't." I blushed a little at the comment. "I don't know." I shrugged. "He acted…guarded when I showed him the pictures I took and I guess it set him off. Like I threatened him or something. I didn't mean to. It just…"

"Happened." Barry finished. "I know you have good intentions. The fact that he probably feels threatened by you just shows how talented you are. Riley, I've seen your photos and they're incredible. Don't be afraid to show your talents. It's what Larkin hired you for, right?"

"Yeah." I said sheepishly. His green eyes lit up.

"Be confident with yourself." He smiled. "He just has to step up his game." He casually rested his chin on top of his hand. "You'll be fine." We looked at each other for a bit and I looked away, letting out a small laugh. "What?"

"Nothing." I shook my head. "But…thank you."

"It's the very least I can do." He took a deep breath and sighed. His gaze flipped back to my laptop at the picture.

"I still can't believe I got that." I sighed.

"It's like Jimmy Olsen from the Daily Planet with Superman." Barry mused. Something stirred inside me.

"Huh." I realized. "You're right." It was exactly that. Well Jimmy Olsen was _the_ newspaper photographer every photographer wanted to be.

"Uh oh." Barry's eyes widened. "I shouldn't have said that."

"What? Why? It's true. Metropolis has Superman and Central City has the Flash."

"Yeah, but then you'll probably dive right into that and maybe do some crazy shit to get a photo of the Flash."

"I have to work for it, right?"

"Yeah well…not like that." He stumbled over his words and he rubbed the back of his head. "I mean…just please be careful, okay?"

"I promise." I smiled. Then I closed out of the picture and put my laptop aside as a barista came up with our coffee.

"One hazelnut mocha and a vanilla latte." She announced.

"Thank you." We both said and took our coffee. Eddie and Iris shortly joined us with their coffee in hand.

"So, Iris said you got some shots today?" Eddie asked.

"Yes I did." I grabbed my laptop and pulled the other photos up before passing it to Eddie. He took it and flipped through the photos with Iris.

"I think Larkin hired an excellent photographer." Eddie sipped his coffee.

"These will look great with the article." Iris agreed. "You did an excellent job today, Riley." Barry took his turn and flipped through them.

"I completely agree." Iris nodded. "Andrew does a good job, but your work is better."

"Thanks." I smiled sheepishly as I turned my laptop off and put it away.

"So how was your day, guys?" She asked.

"We got a break in the Central City National Bank robbery thanks to Barry's excellent work in the CSI." Eddie announced.

"It's nothing." Barry slipped his mocha.

"Not true, Barry." Eddie disagreed. "We couldn't solve our cases without you."

"Just doing my job, Eddie." Barry draped an arm over the couch. I gave him a small smile and he smiled back.

"Care to make a comment, Detective Thawne?" Iris asked in her reporter voice.

"Well, Miss West," Eddie replied. "Just know that Central City's greatest and finest are very close to solving the case." He smiled at Iris and she gave him a gentle kiss. Ever so slightly, Barry stiffened a little. It wasn't as bad as he normally would.

"Any crazy stuff in the CSI world?" I asked while taking a drink.

"We've had a few strange cases." He replied. _Only because Meta-humans were behind it._ "We've had the Flash help solve a few of them." _And I may have something to do with that._ Wait, what? Is Barry…? No, he couldn't be. He doesn't look like it. Then again, looks aren't everything.

"No way, that's awesome!" I grinned. "You guys must get a lot accomplished if you're working together."

"It's definitely interesting." Eddie agreed. He seemed pretty unsure about it. _He's a menace. He could break into a bank without anyone noticing and get away with it._

We kept talking for a little while longer until we called it an evening. Iris offered to drive me back to CCPN so I could get to my car.

"I'm glad your first day went well." Barry pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back and smiled into it.

"So far, so good." I mused.

"Maybe sometime this week we can do another lunch date." Barry suggested.

"I'd like that." I agreed.

"Chinese food?"

"Hell yes." I nodded.

"I'll text you later this week on that." Barry started to walk me towards Iris's car. He held the door of the building for me as we walked out into the chilly air.

"Shit, it's cold." I pulled my coat around me a little tighter.

"Here." He pulled his coat off and wrapped it around me. So much warmth radiated from him. "Feel better?"

"Much better." I nodded. "Aren't you cold, though?"

"Nah, I'm a space heater." He shook his head. He wasn't kidding. His coat was incredibly warm. For a skinny guy he generated a lot of body heat.

"You're lucky." I pulled his coat close. Traces of his aftershave still lingered on it. "I'm like a popsicle. No matter what season, I'm always cold." Barry chuckled. His breath was a cloud of vapor in the cold air.

"That's about the worst kind of luck you can have." His eyes sparkled.

"You're telling me." I giggled as we took our time walking to Iris's car. Barry matched his stride with mine.

"Were you able to sleep easier last night?" He asked.

"For the most part." I replied. "Better than the night before."

"That's good to hear."

"What about you?"

"I was able to sleep knowing you were okay." He looked down at me. "And your mom's gnocchi kinda put me to sleep afterwards when I got home."

"Food coma?"

"Food coma and a combination of exhaustion from work." He mused.

"Well, take it easy when you get home, okay?" I looked back up at him. "Get some dinner and rest up."

"Same goes for you, missy. You 've got an actual job now."

"Shit, you're right." I chuckled. Barry laughed along. We reached Iris's car and she unlocked it with the fob on her keychain. Barry walked over to the passenger side and held the door open for me. I slipped his coat off and handed it back to him. "I believe that belongs to you, Mr. Allen."

"Yes, indeed, Miss Lewis." He slipped it back on.

"Thanks for letting me use it." I gave him a small smile.

"Any time." He smiled back. "You just have to ask if you ever need anything."

"I'll gladly keep that in mind." I leaned against the frame of the car as he leaned on the top of the car door.

"I'll text you about lunch this week."

"Okay." I agreed. Iris and Eddie reached the car and kissed each other.

"I'll see you when you get home." Eddie smiled at her lovingly. I felt a small twinge of jealousy.

"I'll be there after I drop Riley off." She replied. Barry pulled me into another hug. His warmth engulfed me.

"See you soon." He spoke softly.

"See you soon." I replied back. He released me from his embrace and climbed into the car. He shut the door as Iris climbed in on her side and started the car. As we pulled out of the parking lot, Barry gave a small wave. I waved back and then he disappeared from my sight.

"Well that went well." Iris spoke after a bit.

"Yes it did." I agreed.

"What did you guys talk about?"

"Mainly just making plans for lunch this week."

"Chinese?"

"Most likely." I mused. We continued the drive to the CCPN parking lot. We talked some more about random topics. Eventually we pulled into the lot and I spotted my car. "Thanks for the ride."

"Yeah, absolutely no problem." Iris smiled. "Just let me know if you ever need a ride to anywhere or you just want to hang out some time."

"Absolutely." I smiled back. She reached over and gave me a hug.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." I replied. I climbed out of her car with my stuff, then proceeded to my car. Iris drove off and disappeared from my view in a matter of seconds. As I reached my car and fished around for my keys, a gust of wind ruffled my hair.

"So you're a photographer for the paper." A strange voice spoke behind me. I jumped and almost let out a yelp. I turned around quickly to find the scarlet speedster casually standing a few feet away.

"Oh, my God." My heart was hammering against my chest. The Flash laughed in amusement.

"Sorry," He apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you." His face was slightly blurred.

"No, you're fine." I assured him. "I've been on edge the past few days."

"Can't say I blame you." He folded his arms across his chest in a relaxed manner.

"No, but I do have you for being the reason I'm standing her." I replied, taking in a deep breath and my hands shook a little. Why was I shaking? Why was I nervous?

"It's just part of what I do. No need to thank me."

"Yes, I do need to thank you." I disagreed. "I could have died that night. I came so close to being killed in front of everyone, including my friends."

"Did they hurt you?" He asked with a taught voice.

"Nothing serious."

"Did they hurt you?" He asked in a more serious tone. I sighed in dismay and moved part of my shirt collar aside.

"They got me a little with a knife." I explained. "You got there fast enough before they made it permanent."

"But not fast enough." He tensed up.

"Don't beat yourself up over this." I cautiously approached him. He took a few steps back and I stayed in my spot. "I'm alive. So is everyone else that was there that night. We're alive and safe because of you." He didn't speak. "I never got the chance to say it, but thank you for saving my life." I couldn't tell exactly if he was smiling through the blur. Judging from how he relaxed a little, I think he was. "How did you find me, anyway?"

"I saw you with Iris West earlier. Saw the camera and figured you work the for the newspaper." He explained.

"You figured right." I mused.

"First day?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "A little nerve-wracking, but that's expected."

"It'll get easier." He replied. "I'm sure Miss West has plenty of stories from her first few days starting here."

"Knowing her, she probably does." I chuckled a little. A small distorted chuckle emitted from him. I looked at him, admiring the hero of the city. I felt relaxed, more calm than I've been in a while. He put up a hand to one of the lightning bolts on the side of his red leather cowl, looking off to the side.

"Yeah? A robbery? I'm on my way." He turned to me. "Duty calls."

"Will I see you around?" I asked.

"I'm always around." He replied with a hint of a smile in his voice. Then he took off in a gust of wind and a flash of lightning, leaving me speechless and in awe.


	10. Chapter 10

When I got to my apartment Link greeted me by jumping into my arms. He meowed and climbed up on to his cat tower and perched there. "Hi, pretty boy." I scratched his head affectionately. Link head butted me and purred. "Yeah, I missed you, too. You're probably wanting food, aren't you?" He head-butted me and jumped down, sprinting to the kitchen as I hung my stuff up and followed him.

I headed to the cupboard where I kept his canned good. As soon as I opened the door, Link climbed in. "Get out of there, turd bucket." I sighed as I reached for a can. He crawled out and started pacing around the kitchen. I grabbed his food and water dish, filling them both up. Once I set them on the floor, he hungrily attacked his food. "You're a hungry thing." I scratched his back and he arched his back.

I left him alone and headed to the fridge to get dinner of my own. I heated up some leftover soup I had with Barry the previous night and poured a small glass of Blackberry Arbor Mist. I grabbed my phone and shot a text to Nat.

**You won't believe what happened today…**

**What happened? Were you at the Bowman fire?**

**I was. I'm fine. I managed to get a shot of the Flash coming out of the building after the fire was put out.**

**Holy shit, really?**

**Really. Crystal clear shot.**

**And on your first day?**

**Yup. I don't know how I managed to, but it happened.**

**Damn, girl. Not bad for your first day. Anything else happened?**

**I had coffee with Barry, Iris, and Eddie. Barry and I are going to try to meet up this week for lunch. And when I was going to head home, I ran into the Flash.**

**The fuck? Are you serious on all of those?**

**Yes, I'm dead serious.**

**Well what happened? Spill the beans! I wanna know what fucking happened!**

**I was heading to my car and the Flash was there. We talked a little bit and I thanked him for saving my life when we were held hostage. He seemed guilty I got hurt a little in the process. I told him it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I'm alive.**

**Damn. You've had quite the day.**

**Yeah, no shit. I'm still trying to process all of it. I don't think this wine I have is helping, though.**

**Bullshit. You need the wine. How are things with Barry?**

**They're great. We almost kissed each other last night.**

**SAY WHAT!? WHY NOT!?**

**Link got jealous and got in the middle.**

**Damn cat.**

**You're telling me. I was actually disappointed when it didn't happen.**

**Dude's hot. I'd be disappointed, too. Keep me posted on that. I wanna know what happens.**

**Will do.**

I grabbed my leftovers from the microwave and ate my food. Link was off in the corner eating noisily. I chuckled in amusement at his meowing as I ate. I kept eating my soup and drinking my wine until none was left in my glass and bowl. There was a sudden knock on my door and I hurried to answer it. I glimpsed in the peephole to find Thalia standing there. Quickly I unlocked the door and opened it.

"Thalia?" I was surprised. She hardly knocked on my door. The only interactions I had with her were in the halls. Her tiny figure shook as she stood there, tears streaking her face and her mascara was also running. She had a gash on her forehead, but it didn't look too terribly deep. "What's wrong?" The bubbly and caring Thalia I knew so well wasn't present at all. Instead, a broken figure with her face stood there. She broke down completely and started sobbing. I gently took her by the shoulders and guided her to the couch, closing the door behind us. I grabbed a box of tissues and offered it to her as I sat down. Link came in from the kitchen curious at the commotion. He hopped up on the couch and sat in Thalia's lap. She smiled weakly at him and took a handful of tissues.

Thalia wiped the tears from her eyes and took a shaky breath. "There was this guy at one my tables at work earlier this evening. He was rude and kept grabbing me or slapping me on the ass whenever I walked by. My boss told him to knock it off or he'd kick him out. He stopped, but he kept eyeing at me and it made me really uncomfortable." My stomach dropped.

"Fucking bastard." I could see it all replay in her mind.

"Then I was closing and clearing up." She continued. "I was out in the alley taking the trash out when I was done. _He_ was there. He was hiding in the shadows. He came out…and he grabbed me. He said of these vile things and I couldn't get away." Tears fell down her face. I knew what was next.

"Thalia," I spoke as gently as I could. "Did he rape you?" She burst into sobs and nodded. I pulled her into a hug as she cried. "Did he hurt you anywhere else?" I observed the gash on her forehead. She slipped her jacket off and I saw bruises on her arms. "We need to get you to a hospital so they can check out the gash. We can see if they have a rape kit, too."

"I..." She was a little hesitant.

"I have a friend who works with the police in the forensics department. We need to capture the bastard and Barry can help." I made sure I didn't pressure her into it. She was silent for a few moments.

"Okay." She took a deep breath.

"Do you want me to get you a spare change of clothes?" I asked. She nodded. "You stay here with Link." Thalia handed me her keys and I headed out to her unit. Her apartment had a very chic look to it, but it was homey and comfy. Her room was off to the side and I searched for clean sweatpants, underwear, a shirt, socks, shoes, and placed them in a duffel bag. Then I locked the unit behind me and headed back to mine.

Thalia was laying on the couch on her side, clutching a pillow. Link was curled up next to her. Her gaze flickered up in my direction when I walked in.

"You ready?" I asked. She nodded and sat up.

"Thank you for doing this." Her voice shook.

"It's the very least I can do." I replied while grabbing my keys and bag.

"Link's a good kitty." Thalia scratched him behind his ears. He closed his eyes and purred.

"He's a good boy." I agreed. "One of the best." I helped Thalia stand up and we made our way to the door. I held it open her for and we walked out, shutting off the lights and locking the door.

The drive to the police station was a fifteen-minute drive. Once we parked into the parking lot, I led Thalia inside the building to the elevators where we rode it up to the headquarters.

"Have you been here before?" She asked.

"Once." I replied. "I took a tour of it in high school because I was considering being a police sketch artist."

"Really?" She was surprised.

"Yep, but I didn't go through with it because it was a little constricting. Also a little morbid." The doors slid open with police officers bustling about. On the wall where the elevators were located there was a giant gold-colored mural that depicted Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hades, Hermes, Apollo, and Hephaestus. Behind them was a shield depicted with an American flag on it and an eagle at the top of the mural. At the bottom there was a motto that read 'Truth-Liberty-Justice'. There was a set of doors to walk through to offices and desks of the officers. Just off to the side was a set of stairs that led to other areas in the building.

"Riley?" A voice spoke my name. Detective West was walking in my direction. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Detective West," I greeted him with a handshake. "We need to file a report because my friend was sexually assaulted earlier tonight." Detective West took a deep breath and sighed.

"Officer Matthews is trained to handle situations like these." He explained. "Ma'am, I'm so sorry this happened to you." I looked over at Thalia and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"We'll catch him, Thalia." I tried to reassure her. She didn't speak, but she nodded.

"This way, please." Detective West held out an arm towards the doors. We followed him through the doors to Officer Matthews's desk. "Officer Matthews?" A woman with black hair cut in a pixie style looked up. She had warm chocolate brown eyes and a caring expression.

"Detective West," She acknowledged. "How can I help you?"

"Officer Matthews, this is Riley Lewis. She's a friend of my daughter and Barry. Her friend unfortunately needs to file a report for sexual assault."

"I'm so sorry this happened to you." Matthews gave a sympathetic look to Thalia. "Let's get this filed so we can catch this guy." We sat down in some chairs that were next to her desk.

"I'm going to go make a phone call." Detective West informed me. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." I nodded.

"Let me know if you two need anything." He pulled his phone out and headed to his desk. _Barry better get his ass over here._ Officer Matthews pulled out a blank report sheet on her computer. She took a deep breath and sighed.

"When you're ready, ma'am." She looked over at Thalia. Thalia took a deep breath as well and sighed with a nod. "Your name and date of birth."

"Thalia Jackson." Thalia began. "I was born on October tenth, in eighty-nine." She clasped her trembling hands together. Officer Matthews quickly typed up the information on the page. She gave Thalia a nod to continue. "Earlier this evening I was working my shift at a diner not too far from here."

"And what's the name of this diner?"

"Lou's." Thalia replied. "A customer came in and sat down at one of my tables. I waited on him, but his behavior became increasingly inappropriate. He was rude and whenever I would walk by, he would grab me or slap me on my bottom. My boss told him to knock it off or he'd kick him out, so the guy stopped."

"So this behavior started while you were working?" Matthews asked as she typed everything down. _Poor girl. This is awful this happened to her._

"Yes." Thalia answered.

"What else happened?"

"After I closed up, I was outside taking the rash out. He was there, hiding out in the shadows. He came out and grabbed me. Smacked my head against the wall and that's how I got the gash. He said all of these vile things to me; what he was going to do and that I would like it." She shuddered. "He pulled me to the ground and I couldn't get up. He had a tight grip on me and I couldn't move. He left bruises on my arms. Then he pulled his pants and briefs down and pulled mine off. And then he raped me." She broke into sobs again. I pulled her into a hug, doing my best not to hurt her.

Officer Matthews had to stop typing and grabbed tissues for Thalia and her herself. Once she recomposed herself, she finished typing out the rest of the details.

"Thank you for providing as much formation as possible. This definitely isn't any easy thing to do." She gave a gentle, reassuring squeeze of Thalia's hand. "Do you remember what this guy looks like?" Thalia nodded.

"I can help with this bit." I was quick to step in. "Do you have a pencil and paper?" Officer Matthews handed me the materials. "Okay, Thalia." I inhaled. "Describe this douchebag for me." I drew the basic outline of a face.

"He was big. About six feet tall and muscular." Thalia began to describe. I could see the guy in her mind. He was big and muscular. The admittedly was attractive, but that's what made him dangerous. He had angular cheek bones and a chiseled chin. I didn't move too fast as I looked into her mind. Thalia kept on describing the man and before long, we had a sketch of the guy. Thalia kept on describing the man and before long, we had a sketch of the guy. "That's exactly him." Thalia looked at it. "Right down to the eyes." She shuddered. I handed the Officer Matthews the sketch after I wrote details about his height and weight.

"Impressive." She raised her brows. "You'd put our sketch artist out of a job."

"I thought about it in high school once." I replied. "Too morbid for me on the circumstances."

"Understandable." Matthews answered. "Thank you for your help."

"So now what?" Thalia asked.

"We need to get you to a hospital to check your gash and do a rape kit on you." Matthews explained. "As soon as we file this and collect evidence, we'll get this son of a bitch. No one should get away from this."

"Thank you." I nodded.

"All part of the job." She waved it away. "We'll catch this guy, Miss Jackson."

"We need to get you to a hospital." I looked over at Thalia. She sat very still and looked at the floor, but nodded in agreement.

"Both of you get some rest tonight if you can." Matthews advised.

"That's the plan." We stood up and made our way towards Detective West.

"How did it go?" He asked.

"Gave a detailed report and sketch of the guy." I replied.

"Already?"

"I drew it." I explained. "I majored in art at CCU."

"Ah," Detective West went with it. "Where are you off to now?"

"The hospital. We need to get her gash checked out and do a kit."

"Sounds like a plan." West took a deep breath and sighed. "We'll contact you as soon as we hear anything."

"Thank you." I nodded. "Goodnight, Detective West."

"Goodnight." He replied. "Keep an eye on my boy for me. He tends to get carried away with things."

"Will do. Goodnight." I gave a small smile. After that we headed out to the lobby to the elevators. We drove to the nearest hospital within a matter of minutes and parked in a spot close to the entrance. I grabbed the duffel bag of Thalia's clothes and we headed inside.

We had to wait a bit before someone could take a look at Thalia. When they did, I waited in the waiting room while Thalia took her bag. My phone started buzzing in my pocket and I fished it out. It was Barry. I swiped to answer and held the phone up to my ear.

"Hi, Barry." I greeted in a tired voice.

"Riley?" I could sense some worry in his voice. "Joe told me what happened. Where are you at?"

"I'm at the hospital. My friend's getting her gash looked at and the rape kit done."

"How's she holding up?" He asked.

"Not very well." I replied bitterly. "She's taking this pretty hard."

"I'm so sorry. This happened to her."

"Why? It's not your fault."

"Yeah, but because the restaurant she works at isn't too far from the police station, I feel guilty enough about it. I'm surprised she didn't come to us right away."

"She was really freaked out and didn't know what to do."

"We're going to make sure we catch him. I won't stop until we got him." Barry replied bitterly. "I promise you that."

"Thank you, Barry."

"Try to get some sleep tonight, okay?"

"I'll try, but no promises." I sighed.

"Just…just be careful, okay?" I heard a plea in his voice. "Ever since the hostage situation at Jitters I've been concerned about your safety."

"I appreciate the concern." I replied. "I'll take extra caution out there, but I think I have a bit of a guardian angel watching out for me."

"Really? How so?" Curiosity perked in his voice.

"I saw the Flash earlier. After Iris dropped me off at CCPN."

"Was he running through the streets? Is that how you saw him?"

"No, he actually came up to me." I explained. "We actually talked. And he wanted to make sure I was okay."

"Wow, twice in one day." He sounded impressed.

"Stroke of luck, I guess." I mused with exhaustion.

"Well, if he saves you again, maybe you do have a guardian angel." Barry said. "But that doesn't mean you need to go out and be reckless."

"I promise I won't." I replied.

"I gotta go. Take care of yourself, Riley. And get some sleep."

"I will." I agreed. "You get some sleep as well."

"Goodnight, Riley."

"Goodnight, Barry." I hung up and laid back in the chair. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes. I sat there thinking hard about what happened this evening. Eventually darkness and sleep took over.


	11. Chapter 11

Gentle shaking woke me and I snapped up with a jolt. Thalia was standing there with the duffel bag in hand wearing the comfy clothes I grabbed for her.

"Hey." I greeted half asleep.

"Hey." She greeted back. The sleepy fog began to clear from my mind.

"How did it go?" I asked as I sat up straight, stretching out the sore muscles.

"Fine." She shrugged. "They took my clothes for DNA evidence, swabbed my fingernails, swabbed my vagina for any traces of his jizz on me and for signs of assault, they took pictures of the bruises and gash. Then they patched me up."

"Now what?" I asked.

"They send the evidence to forensics and see what they can pull from it." Thalia replied. "Hopefully your friend is as good as you say he is."

"He's one of the best." I answered. There were a few moments of silence. "Let's get you home. You're exhausted and you need the sleep."

"Can I stay with you for the night?" Thalia asked. "I don't want to be alone."

"Of course you can." I nodded. "I'd actually rather have you stay the night to begin with. You've been through a lot tonight." Thalia gave a weak smile. "Let's go home." I stood up and took Thalia's bag from her. She looked exhausted and she would pass out at any minute. I led the way to my car and unlocked it. Thalia climbed in the passenger side while I put her bag in the back seat. Then I climbed in and started the car.

On the way back, Thalia fell asleep. Now I understood what Barry was going through when he drove me home from the Jitters hostage situation. Something bad happens to a friend of yours, then you'd do anything to make sure they were safe. Thalia continued to sleep as I drove home. _Poor tired girl…_ I thought with remorse. _She's been through so much._

When we reached the apartment building I parked the car and shut the engine off.

"Thalia." I gently shook her awake. "Thalia, we're here." Thalia woke up sleepily and disoriented.

"Hmm?" She mumbled while looking around.

"We're home." I explained.

"Oh." She realized. I hopped out of the car and grabbed the bag. Thalia stumbled out of the car and made her way to the front door. Once the car doors were shut, I locked the vehicle. Then I followed Thalia inside to the elevators.

She pressed the button for the elevator and the doors slid open. We climbed inside and I pressed the button for our floor.

"Do you need any pajamas?" I asked.

"No, these are fine." She shook her head.

"Do you want the bed?" I wanted to make sure she was comfortable as possible.

"The couch is fine." Thalia shrugged. We reached our floor and I led the way out. When we reached my unit I fished my keys out of my bag and unlocked the door. I turned the light on and we headed inside. Thalia collapsed on the couch with Link joining her. I put her duffel bag by the door, then hurried to grab a pillow from my bed and a blanket.

"You gonna be okay?" I asked as I brought them out to her. I put the pillow at one end of the couch and the blanket next to her.

"For now." She replied. "I'll feel even better when the fucking bastard is captured." She took her shoes off and laid down on the couch, wincing at her bruises. "Thanks for taking care of me, Riley."

"It's the least I can do." I pulled the blanket over her. "Do you need anything else?"

"No thank you, I'm fine." Thalia yawned and her eyes began to droop.

"If you need anything, I'll be in my room." I let her know.

"Okay." She mumbled softly. A soft snore escaped from her and she was completely out of it. I turned the lights off and headed to my room to grab my pajamas. I kicked off my shoes and jacket, them made my way to the bathroom. I turned the shower on and undressed myself while I waited for the water to warm up. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of my reflection.

My auburn hair clung to my face in waves, I had dark circles beneath my eyes from lack of sleep, and my skin was pale. What did Barry see in me? All I saw was an average looking person. I slipped my necklace, class ring, and Claddagh ring off and placed them on the counter. They were such simple objects, but the Claddagh ring especially held important significance to me.

With the water warm enough, I climbed into the shower. For a minutes I just stood there, letting the steam and water engulf me in a warm embrace. My eyes closed in relaxation as stiff muscles loosened up. I washed my hair, washed my face, shaved my legs and armpits, then scrubbed my body with a sugar scrub body wash. I relaxed myself for a few more minutes before shutting the water off.

After drying myself when I climbed out of the shower I got dressed. My Hufflepuff pants and Doctor Who shirt were comfy and warm. I stuck my dirty clothes in the hamper and headed to my room. I stood at the window and stared out at the city. Even this late at night the city was still lit up. I stood there thinking and taking everything in. A few thoughts from the residents around me crept into my mind.

The voice grew louder and louder. Suddenly there were more voices than I've ever heard before. The pain was blinding and it felt like thousands of needles were being pushed into my brain. The pain brought me to my knees and I cried out in pain. _What was happening to me?_ I curled up on the floor in fetal position trying to cover my ears with my hands to block out the sound. It was no use.

Tears were streaming down my face at the excruciating pain. Then as soon as it started, it stopped. My hands shook as I slowly pulled them away from my ears. My heart was hammering and my breathing was rapid. What the _hell_ was that? The pain subsided to a dull, throbbing headache as I sat up shakily. That was a big mistake. My stomach felt all twisted up and it lurched forward.

I scrambled quickly to the bathroom and heaved bile into the toilet. Was I sick? It felt like a stomach flu headache I usually got whenever I was sick with it. My sides ached as my stomach got rid of whatever was in it. When I stopped puling my guts out, I rested my head on the edge of the seat. Gross, I know. I didn't care at the moment.

The voices in my head. It was like when I first discovered my ability to read minds. Except that wasn't a few thoughts. That was more than usual. That was like the entire city! What the hell was going on?

* * *

I hardly got any sleep again last night. I think I got a total of five hours of sleep. Thalia had left when I woke up. She left a note saying her thanks of me watching out for her and letting her stay the night. I went through my usual routine to get ready and I made myself a lunch to take to work. Link was fed, coffee was made to go, and I was ready to head out.

When I arrived at work people were bustling about. Mr. Larkin was supervising some departments and trying to find some headliners.

"Riley," He greeted looking up as I walked in. "Did you get any photos from the Bowman fire yesterday?"

"Hi, Mr. Larkin," I greeted back. "Yes I did."

"Fantastic, can you print out a few? We'll need them for our headline."

"Sure, no problem." I nodded.

"Great." Mr. Larkin smiled. "Oh and before I forget, you'll need your picture taken for your press pass."

"Okay." I agreed. I headed over to my desk and sat down, logging into my computer. I plugged in the memory card with pictures from yesterday and waited for them to load. It wasn't even noon yet and I was exhausted.

"Hey, Riley." Iris's voice greeted me from behind. I looked up and swiveled in my seat.

"Hey, Iris." I rubbed my eyes.

"Wow, you look like shit." Her eyes went wide.

"Thanks for your words of confidence." I chuckled tiredly. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Yeah, I bet." She replied sympathetically. "Barry and my dad told me what happened last night. I'm so sorry that happened to your friend."

"Yeah," I sighed in a quick breath. "Me, too. I'm just hoping they can capture the guy."

"If not the police, maybe the Flash could." Iris said hopefully.

"Maybe." I agreed. I stared off absently at something for a bit.

"You okay?" She asked with some worry.

"I'm fine. Just tired." I replied.

"You need some proper coffee."

"I made some this morning." I drank out of my travel mug to prove my point.

"No, you need Jitters." Iris shook her head. "Your coffee isn't strong enough."

"Not even if it's French pressed?"

"Not even." Iris replied.

"Or this is you being biased because you used to work there and the coffee's damn good?" I raised my brows.

"Yeah, it might be that." She mused. "I'll grab you something when I'm out."

"Iris, you don't have to do that." I began to protest.

"No, you've been through a lot and you look like hell." She waved her hand. I opened my mouth, but she gave me a look.

"Fine." I sighed. "You're as bad as my mom and Barry."

"That's what happens when you're friends with me." Iris smiled.

I continued working throughout the morning occasionally with Andrew. He showed me more of the ropes around CCPN. I could still feel some hostility from him as we worked, though. He still doesn't seem too happy I'm here. When I had a small break I took care of my press pass photo. Despite looking and feeling like utter shit, my picture came out pretty good.

When noon rolled around Iris left to go on a lunch date with Eddie. I was left alone at my desk and ate the lunch I made for myself. This morning Iris and I worked together on the Bowman fire. Since the story involved the Flash, Larkin wanted Iris to write the story.

"You have a special tie with him." Larkin raved as he gave directions. "Use that to your advantage. It's like Lois Lane and Superman."

_It most certainly is not like Lois and Superman_ , Iris's thoughts flashed with anger. She was in a bit of a grumpy mood afterwards, but once we worked together on the story her mood lightened up quite a bit. They still haven't caught the guy who started it, but it was released that it was started by Victor Evans, a former and very disgruntled employee. My money was with Iris on the stolen research theory being the motive of the attack. And I also agreed that he was affected by the particle accelerator explosion.

My lunch break was pretty boring and uneventful until Iris came back. She came in around one with two cups of coffee with the familiar Jitters logo on them.

"I come bearing gifts of caffeine!" She announced as she placed one on my desk.

"Oh, my God, I love you." I took it gratefully and sipped it. Rich, hot caramel flavoring poured down my throat and into my stomach.

"Barry said vanilla and caramel were your top two flavors." Iris gave a small smile. "I texted him while I was out when I couldn't pick what to get you."

"Totally fine." I waved it away. "Caramel, hazelnut, vanilla, and chocolate are my go-to flavors.

"Now I know what coffee ground bags to buy for your birthday and Christmas." She chuckled.

"Also like tea." I pointed out.

"What kind?"

"Pretty much everything except for Earl Grey." I replied. "I don't like smell or taste of it."

"Duly noted." She agreed. "I gotta get to work on a small article for Larkin."

"Flash article?" I raised my brows.

"Yeah," She sighed. "Just basically about he's a great hero and all. Not that there's something bad. It's just that…"

"You want to be known as someone other than the Flash's personal reporter." I finished.

"Exactly!" Iris raised her hands. "You understand that, too! I feel like I can do so much more than just sit on my ass and write stories about the Flash."

"I totally believe you." I agreed. "I bet you have some really great ideas for stories."

"I do! I had this great idea about how a project over in Keystone helps pregnant women get back on their feet. Instead Larkin shuts me down on that and had me work on Flash stories." Then an idea hit me.

"What if we worked together?" I suggested. "You did say we'd make a bad ass team. I could help you with the Flash stories and you can work on solo stuff."

"That…" Iris thought aloud. "Is not a bad idea. That could actually work. We could be a crime-reporting duo!"

"West and Lewis." I grinned. "Author goes first." I reminded her.

"Riley, you're a genius." She hugged me. "We'd better get started on some pieces Do you have any photos of the Flash from the fire?" My stomach dropped. "What?"

"Well," I took a deep breath. "I have one, but…"

"But what?" Iris asked. "Riley, you can talk to me about anything."

"I feel like it's unfair on how I got it." I explained. "First day on the job and a fire happens. Then we go to it and I manage to snag a photo of the Flash. I feel like it's unfair because I should have to work to get photos. Not have them handed to me on a silver plate."

"Riley, that's part of being a journalist." Iris gently said. "Sometimes you're in the right spot at the right time. Sometimes you have to work for it and sometimes you don't. It's like what we said last night. Larkin hired you for a reason, so Andrew has to step up his game. Barry thinks the same thing."

"You sure?" I sighed.

"I'm sure." She nodded. "So what's this picture? You showed it to Barry."

"Okay." I reluctantly agreed. I pulled my camera's SD card out and inserted it into the computer. After scrolling a bit through the files I found the photo I was looking for. "This is it." I pulled the image up. Iris leaned forward and looked at the photo.

"Hot shit." She breathed. "That's amazing. That's better than the photo I managed to get of him on my phone. That's _way_ better." I remember what photo she was talking about. The first photo of the Flash was the only photo Central City had of him and Iris barely managed to get it on her phone. "This really could become an iconic photo of him."

"You think so?" I raised my brows.

"Has anyone else snapped a good photo of him?"

"I see your point."

"Exactly." Iris nodded. "This is some really good work, though. Larkin would love it."

"Larking would love what?" A harsh male voice spoke. I turned around at the source. A tall, broad man with dark hair, hazel eyes, and a goatee stood before us.

"Riley, this is Mason Bridge." Iris introduced. "Mason, this is Riley Lewis, our new photographer."

"Nice to meet you." I greeted.

"Likewise." Bridge replied unimpressed.

"Riley managed to get a photo of the Flash yesterday at the Bowman fire." Iris put in.

"Is that so?" Bridge asked. I scooted to the side at my computer.

"See for yourself, Mason." Iris replied. The stoic reporter headed to the monitor and observed it.

"Huh," He was mildly surprised. "Not bad. For a newcomer. I'd be impressed if you won a Pulitzer." He gave a curt nod and left us.

"Who showed a stick up his ass?" I frowned at him. Iris let out a snort of a laugh.

"Mason's just competitive." She replied. "He's a really good reporter, but he can be a hard ass."

"Oh." I mouthed quietly.

"Yeah," She agreed. "He made my first few days rough."

"The Flash said a similar thing." I mused.

"Really? When?"

"Last night after you dropped me off at the parking lot." I explained. "He found me in the parking lot. He wanted to make sure I was okay after the whole hostage situation. We talked for a bit and he knew I started working here. Then he mentioned you and said you have stories about your first few days here."

"It gets better." She smiled.

"He said that, too." I chuckled.

"He's a smart guy." Iris added. "I'll see you soon. I gotta get back to work."

"See you later."

"Keep up the good work, Riley. You're doing a great job." Iris smiled again.

* * *

I continued working throughout the rest of the work day. I listened to the advice of my friends and created a print of the Flash picture I took. There was an inner battle with my thoughts on how to tell Larkin. Towards the end of the day, I finally decided on a way to tell him. My hands shook a little as I approached his office. The older gentleman sat at his desk reading something intensely. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door frame.

"Um, Mr. Larkin?" I greeted cautiously. Larkin looked up, reading glasses half way down the bridge of his nose.

"Miss Lewis." He greeted with a smile. "Come in. What can I do for you? How's your day been?" I walked in and stood in front of his desk.

"It's been pretty good so far. Just been busy working and learning the ropes around here." I smiled nervously.

"Excellent. I like your work attitude." Larkin continued smiling. "So how can I help you?"

"Well," I took a deep breath. "I have a photo of the Flash you may be interested in." I passed him the photo. Larkin took it and studied it. "It was from yesterday at the Bowman fire. I wasn't quite sure of it, but I took it along with the photos we used in today's paper." I nervously wrung my hands together at Larkin's silence. It bothered me very much.

"You've been holding back, Riley.' He eyed me with suspicion. "However, this is great! This is fantastic!" His sudden mood change caught me by surprise.

R-really?" I stammered.

"Absolutely." He agreed. "Next story we have on him we'll use this as our front page photo."

"Um...thank you, sir." I was shocked.

"No, thank _you_ , Miss Lewis." He stood up and shook my hand. "Keep up the excellent work, kiddo."

"Sure thing. Have a good evening, Mr. Larkin."

"And you as well, Riley." He smiled. I walked out of his office in a daze.

"What was that about?" Iris asked as she walked up to me. She was ready to head home.

"I showed him the photo." I replied.

"And?"

"He said the next Flash story we have he wants to use it for the cover photo." I explained. Iris let out a squeal and engulfed me in a hug.

"Oh, my God, I'm so happy for you!" Her eyes shone with excitement. "I told you so!"

"Yeah," I agreed, still in a daze. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Andrew standing nearby with a sour expression on his face.

_Great. Just what I needed. Some newcomer to come in with limited photography skills to completely show me up and possibly ruin my career!_

"I'll see you tomorrow, Riley." Iris said as she headed out the door.

"See you tomorrow." I called after her. I headed to my desk to gather my things to head home.

"So," Andrew spoke behind me. I jumped a little and turned around.

"Oh," I realized who it was. "Hi, Andrew." He stood there with a blunt expression.

"Hi." He replied stiffly. "I heard about your photo and Larkin's opinion. Congratulations. That's a big achievement for a newcomer."

"Thanks." I replied.

"How did you do it?" His eyes narrowed.

"I was in the right place at the right time." I shrugged. "Nothing special to it."

"You sure Iris isn't pulling strings for you?" He asked. I eyed him suspiciously.

"If you're accusing me of using my friend's connection to the Flash, you're wrong." I replied coldly. "Believe it or not, I was actually debating with myself on showing the picture to Larkin for an entire day. I even thought that it wasn't fair I managed to get a good photo on my first day." Andrew's gazed softened.

"I'm…sorry." He was taken back by my response. "I shouldn't have been so quick to judge."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have." I shot back. I grabbed my stuff and marched out of the door to my car. Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable.

When I got home I was still pretty pissed off, but Link was there. "Hey, buddy." I greeted him with a scratch on his head. After I put my stuff away and fed Link my phone buzzed.

**How's my favorite photographer doing?**

**I couldn't help but smile at the text from Barry.**

**Tired, but not too terribly bad. I think I made a nemesis at work, though. How's my favorite forensic scientist?**

**About the same. Already? How come?**

**With Andrew the other photographer. I took your advice and submitted the photo to Larkin. Now Andrew thinks I'm a threat to his career.**

**Don't worry about him. He's just butt hurt you're good and you're becoming Larkin's favorite.**

**You sure?**

**I'm positive. Like we said before, Larkin hired you for a reason. You proved that today.**

**Gah I'm starting to dread going into work tomorrow.**

**Would it put your mind at ease if we went out for lunch tomorrow?**

**It would!**

**Chinese at Mamma Chang's? It's close to both of our jobs.**

**Works for me! I can pick you up at noon.**

**Sounds like an excellent plan :)**

**Awesome :)**

**Take it easy for the rest of the nigh, okay? Just relax and I will make sure you have nothing to worry about tomorrow.**

**I will try my hardest.**

**No, you won't do anything. You relax. Drink some wine, binge-watch some TV on Netflix, and cuddle up with Link.**

**Fine :P**

**I'll see you tomorrow :)**

**See you tomorrow :)**

I took Barry's advice and relaxed. It was one of the best decisions I made in a long while. I had a glass of wine, made some spaghetti, and kicked back with Link by watching some Doctor Who. It was a very close tie with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor being my favorite. I even soaked in the tub with a sweet pea scented bath bomb. When I went to bed I didn't have any sudden pains or hear a shit load of thoughts at once. That night I was able to sleep easy. It ended up being one of the best nights of sleep I had.


	12. Chapter 12

Work was the same the next morning when I arrived. People were working hard on articles, the art department was choosing photos, the editorial staff was putting things together, and Larkin was directing people around. There was a buzz to the environment as the people bustled about, feeding off of each other's motivation. When I walked in Andrew was standing by my desk. I stopped in my tracks and was hesitant to approach him.

"Riley," Andrew greeted with a guilty look.

"What do you want?" I asked. "Come to accuse me of cheating my way through work?" Andrew flinched at the comment.

"No, I wanted to apologize. Properly." He stuck his hands in his pockets. I crossed my arms and started at him.

"Well?"

"I'm sorry about last night. I truly am. That was nowhere fair or right for me to accuse you like that." Andrew looked sincere. "I'm not used to having a second photographer around here. I see now why Larkin hired you. You are truly talented for a newcomer. Please forgive me." I was quiet for a few moments. His thoughts didn't have any traces of doubt for showed that he was lying.

"I forgive you." I replied quietly. "But I swear to God you accuse me of shit like that again, working together will not be pleasant."

"Understood." Andrew nodded. "Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

"Just don't act like a dick. Plain and simple. It's unflattering if you do." I shrugged.

"I can do that." He agreed. "Sorry again about last night." He then left me to go to work on what he needed to do.

"Andrew acting like an ass?" Iris asked from behind.

"Yep." I replied.

"What did he do this time?" So he's done this more than once.

"Accused me of using you to get photos of the Flash." I explained.

"Wow." Iris bluntly said. "That's a new low for him."

"Apparently." I agreed. "I've only been here for almost three days and I've been accused of cheating my way through work."

"He doesn't like to share the spotlight, but I think you've put him in his place." Iris smirked.

"Maybe." I shrugged. "Honestly, I don't care. So what if he's butt hurt he's not the only photographer anymore?"

"Nice attitude." Iris complimented.

"I try."

"So are you ready with your lunch date with Barry?" Iris asked.

"How'd you know?"

"You're forgetting who his best friend is."

"Right." I agreed. "And yes I'm ready for it." Iris smiled.

"Good luck and have fun." She patted me on the shoulder and headed to her desk. I sat down at mine and logged into my computer, setting my stuff aside. I just wanted it to be noon already. I still had three and a half hours. Great. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I fished it out. It was a text from my mom.

**Anna, Ethan, and the kids are coming over for dinner Saturday night. We're having lasagna and you're more than welcome to join us.**

That didn't sound like a bad idea. Lasagna was one of my favorite foods. Maybe I could bring Barry if he was okay with the idea.

**Sure, sounds like a great idea. Can I bring a plus one?**

**Of course. Who do you have in mind?**

**Probably my friend Barry. I'll check with him later today when I see him.**

**The same Barry that drove you home from the hostage situation?**

**The very same.**

**Great. We'll see you then.**

* * *

As the day rolled on I anxiously waited for noon. Iris wished me good luck on the way out when I was finally able to take a lunch break. I climbed into my car and made my way over to the police station. I parked in a spot, headed inside to the elevators, and rode them up to the precinct. There was a desk sergeant in the lobby at his post when the doors slid open.

"Excuse me." I greeted the man at the desk when I approached him.

"How can I help you, ma'am?" He looked up.

"I'm looking for Barry Allen. He works in forensics." I requested.

"Up the stairs and down the hall to your right. There's an opening on the left you can't miss." The desk sergeant directed.

"Thank you." I gave a small smile. He gave a small nod and went back to work.

 _Does Allen have a new girlfriend? She looks new. Pretty hot to add to that. How was he able to score that?_ I ignored his mental comments and made my way up the stairs. The walls that were painted blue were decorated with pictures of Central City from over the years. Towards the middle of the of the hallway there was a large opening to the left. A large metal sliding door was pulled to one side to open the room.

I peeked in the opening and saw a very large room. The walls weren't painted; they were left as large concrete blocks. There was a large skylight on the ceiling and there were dozens of shelves and tables with lab equipment and various chemicals. At one table was Barry looking into a microscope and writing things down. His brow was furrowed and forehead was creased as he was studying intensely. I felt a small smile appear on my lips as I knocked on a door frame.

"Knock, knock." I greeted. Barry looked up and smiled.

"Hey." He greeted back.

"Hey yourself." I walked into the lab, looking around. "So this is your lab, huh?"

"Yep, this is where all of the police science magic happens." Barry stood up and walked over to me. "And that," He pointed to a large scorch mark in the floor. "Is where I got struck by lightning." I spun around and looked at the floor.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed. "How did you survive that? Well, I mean I know how you did, but seeing is believing." Barry laughed.

"Like I said," He replied. "I fell into a coma for nine months and was taken care of by a team at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Wouldn't have your muscles deteriorated over time, though?" I asked. Barry's eyes widened a little.

"What?"

"You were in a coma for nine months. Not using your muscles for that long should have done something to you." I observed.

"H-how do you know this?" Barry stared at me with an odd expression.

"It's uh…like that Stephen King novel. What's it called…" I tried to explain. "Dead Zone! That's what it is. There's this guy that has the ability to see into the future and he suddenly falls into a coma for two years. He wakes up and they have to do physical therapy on him because his muscles deteriorated over the two years he was in a coma."

"Um…" Barry looked confused.

"Never mind." I blushed. "Forget I asked or said anything about it."

"You sure?" He gave a quirky smile. "It's an interesting theory."

"I'm sure." I nodded. "Just crazy theories." Barry smiled and chuckled.

"You ready for lunch?"

"Yeah, I'm starving." I replied.

"Just let me clean up a bit and we're good to go." Barry headed over to the table and cleared some stuff up. "So how's work been?"

"Apart from dick coworkers, not too bad." I sighed. "What about you? Anything weird?"

"Well there's the Bowman fire." Barry finished cleaning up. "No one knows the exact cause of it since there wasn't an accelerant."

"Could it be a person like the Flash?" I asked curiously. "This city's been seeing some weird things over the past year. There's the Flash, the Burning Man, and one of the Marden brothers who could control the weather. I think the fire was started by someone with abilities. Somebody with fire manipulating abilities. Some kind of…"

"Firestarter?" Barry slipped his jacket on.

"Exactly." I sucked in a breath of excitement. "Ooh that would be such a good name for this guy!"

 _Yep, Cisco would definitely get along with her. All of them would._ Stop it! Stay out of his head. God damn it, Riley, stay out of his head. I forced myself to build a mental wall around my mind.

"Well, maybe this Firestarter guy is the former employee Victor Evans." Barry suggested.

"That's what Iris and I were thinking." I put in as we made our way to the entrance of the lab. "I think he got pissed off because somebody fire him and stole his research."

"Seems like a probable cause" Barry nodded. "Look at you. You're thinking like a reporter."

"It's part of my job, isn't it?" I grinned. "I may be a photo journalist, but I'm required to investigate things."

"That it is." He grinned back. We walked down the stairs as we continued talking.

"Riley?" A familiar voice spoke. Detective West was walking past the stairs as we reached the bottom.

"Hi, Detective West." I greeted.

"Where are you two heading?" Detective West asked.

"We're heading to Mamma Chang's for a lunch date." Barry replied.

"A lunch date." Detective West sounded impressed.

"Yes, sir." I agreed.

"Their kung pao chicken ins pretty good." He recommended.

"I know what I'm getting." Barry grinned. Detective West chuckled.

"Have fun, you two. Go get some grub." He patted Barry on the shoulder.

"It was nice to see you again, Detective West." I gave a small wave.

"You, too, Riley." Detective West nodded. "See you later, Barry."

"See you later, Joe." Barry replied as we made our way to the elevators.

 _Barry looks actually happy. That's good. He needs happiness in his life,_ Detective West thought. We made our way to my car down at the parking lot. When I unlocked the car Barry opened the driver side for me.

"After you, madam." He gestured in.

"Thank you very much." I chuckled as I climbed in. Barry closed the door and climbed in on the passenger side. We buckled in and I started the car. Rock music blasted a little too loudly, making both of us jump. "Sorry." I cringed as I turned it down to a comfortable level.

"Never took you for the rock type." Barry mused.

"What, you thought I listen to pop songs about drugs, sex, and butts? No thanks." I made a face.

"I will admit 'Poker Face' is a guilty pleasure of mine." Barry blushed, but laughed it off. I made a face of surprise and started laughed.

"Oh, my God." I continued laughing.

"What? Lady Gaga has a good voice and the song's catchy." Barry gave an 'oh well' gesture. I pulled us out of the parking lot and on to the street. "So what other music do you like?"

"Pretty sure you can tell from the music my band plays that I like indie music." I replied. "I also like jazz, classical music, movie scores, and video game scores."

"Ah, so you're a pretty well-rounded person in musical taste." Barry observed.

"Everything but country and rap. I can't stand those two. Other things I can tolerate." I explained. "When I was at CCU I minored in piano for a while, but then I dropped it and focused on photography."

"How come? If you don't mind me asking." He asked.

"Being part of the music program was pretty time consuming so I was busy a lot. The head piano professor had something to do with being the reason I dropped, though. Apparently in her eyes I wasn't good enough to be in her studio. I tried so hard in working my ass off, but it never pleased her. She verbally degraded me during a lesson and the next day I quit."

"Oh, my God." Barry looked appalled. "Couldn't the head of the music school do anything about it?"

"Nope." I shook my head. "She was tenured. Only way she could have gotten fired was by royally fucking something up. This woman was so damn hard to please, a friend of mine played all thirty-two pages of 'Rhapsody in Blue' perfectly and beautifully for a recital hearing. Then the piano professor said it was cute and to try again the next semester."

"That's awful!"

"I was sitting by the doors to the performance hall and felt sick by her comment." I shuddered as we reached a stoplight. "It didn't stop me from playing, though. I played in my spare time for enjoyment or be an accompanist for the music majors during juries. It was a pretty good way to make cash on the side."

"What exactly are juries in the musical sense?" He asked.

"Juries are when you play a few pieces that primarily deal with technique. You play in front of the professors that are in your area. If you played trumpet for example, you'd play in front of the entire brass department. So that would be trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium, baritone, and tuba." I briefly explained. "It pretty much sucked when I was going through it."

"Well I would like to hear you play piano some time." Barry grinned.

"I think that could be a possibility." I agreed with a smile. "So what about you? Anything else interesting about your music taste or something about you that I don't know?"

"Um…" Barry though aloud. "I pretty much like all genres of music. And as for anything you don't know about me is that occasionally go to karaoke bars with my friends Cisco and Caitlin."

"Really? You sing?"

"Not very frequently, but I have been told I can bring a house down." Barry chuckled. "There was one time Caitlin and I hung out at a bar and they had a karaoke night. Caitlin got a little drunk and decided to volunteer us to sing 'Summer Nights'."

"That must've been quite a performance." I giggled.

"I got a girl's number from it."

"You do realize at some point you're going to have to prove your singing ability to me, right?" I mused.

"I am highly aware of that and I realize I have dug a grave for myself." He chuckled.

"I'm not going to let you forget, Allen." I replied.

"Wow, so we're on a last-name basis with threats now."

"I'm not threatening you." I smiled. "Just casually enforcing my promise by using your last name."

"Well then, Lewis." He wiggled his brows with a smile. I laughed as I kept driving us to the restaurant.

"You're terrible." I grinned as I kept my eyes on the road. Barry only smiled and chuckled in amusement. The rest of the drive to Mamma Chang's we talked about all sorts of things; our favorite movies, TV shows, more hobbies, book series, all sorts of stuff. He wasn't too surprised when I told him my favorite book series was Harry Potter.

"So now that I know that you're a Potterhead, I have to ask what house."

"Hufflepuff." I answered instantly. "One hundred percent Hufflepuff."

"It suits you very well." He commented.

"I try." I shrugged.

"Okay, Miss Harry Potter expert," Barry drummed on the dashboard. "What house would you place me in?"

"Hmm…" I eyed him and thought hard. "I would place you…in Hufflepuff as well. I'm not saying that just because it's my house. You have this hardworking character, you love your family very much or those close to you, you're thoughtful and kind, you like helping people which could be a reason why you joined the CCPD, you have a good heart, you're caring, and very loyal. Just from what I've seen."

"Holy crap that's eerily accurate." I could feel his stunned eyes on me. "How the hell did you do that?"

"I have a knack for reading people." That wasn't necessarily a lie.

"Color me impressed." Barry chuckled. Soon we reached Mamma Chang's and I parked in the lot. I shut the car off and we climbed out of the car, then we headed inside. Mamma Chang's was a little busy for the lunch hour, but we were able to order our food and get it in a reasonable amount of time. Just as he promised Detective West, Barry ordered his kung pao chicken. I ordered pork chow mei fun and an iced tea. As we sat down and waited for our food, I noticed Barry staring at me.

"What?" I panicked a little. "Do I have something on my face." Barry shook his head and smiled.

"No, you look really nice today." He replied.

"Oh." I blushed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled again.

"You look very nice as well." I complimented.

"I dress to impress."

Well, I am definitely impressed."

"That was the plan." Barry mused. "It was something Joe taught me growing up. This is nothing, though."

"He seems like a good guy." I observed, "from what I've seen when we filed the report the other night. He and Officer Matthews were really helpful."

"Joe's a pretty good guy." Barry nodded. "Erica's great to work with, too. How's your friend doing?"

"She's hanging in there." I sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's having nightmares. I'm still having nightmares from the hostage ordeal."

"And how are you holding up on that?" His eyes softened on the topic.

"I've been okay knowing that those criminals were caught." I responded. "With Thalia, though, that man is still out there."

"I promise you we're doing everything we can to catch the guy." Barry took a hand and gently squeezed it. "We got the guy's name, though. His name is Roger Clark. The judge is supposed to give us a warrant for an arrest soon."

"I take it he's been arrested before." I said.

"Driving while intoxicated and aggravated assault." He replied with a nod. "I promise you we're gonna get him."

"Thank you." I said softly. A waiter came to our table with our food and place them before us. We acknowledged our thanks and dug in. "I can't pick which is better. Jaded Dragon or Mamma Chang's?"

"Mamma Chang's for the eggrolls and Jaded Dragon for everything else." Barry was quick to reply. "Although Joe was right about the kung pao." I made a face. "What?"

"My mouth can't handle spicy food." I replied.

"Good thing we decided to no go for tacos. I know this Mexican joint around here that has some damn good tacos, but they're the spiciest in town."

"Aw, but I love tacos." I put on a sad face.

"They have non spicy ones."

"Sweet Jesus yes." I grinned. Barry chuckled. "What? I like food." We continued eating our lunch and kept talking about different things. After we finished, we sat back.

"That's an interesting ring you're wearing." Barry observed. I looked down at my hands.

"What, the Claddagh ring?" I asked.

"Is that what it is?" I pulled the ring off and passed it to him. He took it and observed it closely.

"It's an Irish tradition." I explained. "I have Irish heritage from my mother's side. Her maiden name is Murphy. Lewis is an English surname. Anyway, the Irish have this tradition of these rings that signify their romantic status. The two hands mean friendship, the heart means love, and the crown means loyalty. If you wear the ring on your right hand with the heart pointing away from you, it means you're single. If it's pointing towards you it means you're in a relationship. On the left hand, away means engaged and towards means married."

"That's pretty cool." Barry smiled as he observed it. Then he gave it back and I placed it on my finger. I sat there silent for a few moments. "What are you thinking about?"

"Would you be interested in hanging out Saturday?" I asked cautiously. "My parents invited me and my sister's household over for dinner. It's nothing too special."

"I would love to." Barry replied with a gentle smile. "I think it could be fun."

"You sure?" I was surprised. I didn't expect him to say yes.

"Absolutely." He smiled. "Like I said, it could be fun."

"Great." I smiled back. "I can pick you up at your place around 5:30 if you want."

"Works for me." He agreed. Barry gave me the address and I plugged it into my phone under his contact info. We were finished with lunch so we cleaned up after ourselves and exited the restaurant. As I drove us back to the police station we rode in a comfortable silence, occasionally talking about different things. When we reached the parking lot I pulled us in and parked, shutting the engine off. We climbed out of the car and made our trek to Barry's lab. "I see what you're doing." Barry smirked.

"What am I doing?" I asked as we walked inside the building.

"Trying to squeeze in the last few minutes you have until you need to get back to work." He chuckled in amusement.

"Maybe." I didn't deny it as a smile reached my lips.

"Don't deny it." He smiled.

"I didn't say I'm not." I wiggled my brows at him with a grin. We pressed the button for the elevator and the doors slid open. A few people climbed into the elevator with us as Barry pressed the button for his floor. We stood next to each other in the elevator and stared ahead at the lights for the floors. _Just lightly brush your hand against his_ , I thought to myself. Ever so lightly I brushed the tips of my fingers against his. I felt his hand brush back and there was a small jolt of electricity. I jumped slightly at the feeling, but Barry's hand remained near mine. We kept looking forward and I could feel my cheeks heat up. _Way to be cliché, Lewis,_ I mentally cursed myself. Once we reached our floor, the elevator dinged and the doors opened with everyone spilling out into the lobby.

"Interesting elevator ride." Barry smirked as I blushed a little.

"Oh, shut up." I replied as I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Wow, sassy _and_ mature." He laughed as we climbed the stairs. With each step up the stairs and down the hall my stomach sank. I hadn't quite realized until now that I really enjoyed Barry's company. I felt very relaxed and I could be myself around him. Well, mostly myself. There's the whole 'Hey, I can hear your thoughts, but I'm trying really hard not to' situation. A we reached his lab Barry let out a sigh of defeat. "Well, here's my stop."

"Thanks for lunch today." I gave him a smile.

"It was my pleasure." He returned the gesture. "I had fun even if it was just lunch."

"I did, too." I agreed. "We'll have to do it again some time."

"Maybe even a legit dinner date." He replied.

"I like the sound of that." I nodded. We were silent for a few moments. My God his gaze was so captivating I could get lost in his brilliant green eyes. "Well," I broke the silence, "I gotta head back before I get in trouble with Larkin."

"Yeah, Captain Singh will be on my ass if I don't get back to work." Barry bit his lower lip in thought.

"Thanks again for lunch." I thanked him again.

"Absolutely no problem." He replied. I stood up on my toes a bit and we engulfed each other in a hug. My heart jumped wildly at his touch and his scent my nose.

"Bye, Barry." I was slightly muffled.

"Bye, Riley." He sighed. After a moment or two we let go of each other. Barry took a few steps backwards into his lab. "Go before you're late."

"I'm going." I chuckled. He turned around and headed back to work with a smile on his face. As I walked down the hall I could have sworn there was a spring in his step. Saturday couldn't get here fast enough.


	13. Chapter 13

The rest of the week painfully dragged by much to my displeasure. The band agreed to meet up Saturday morning to do a practice session because some owner at a bar wanted some live music for a few hours the following weekend. It felt good to be playing my guitar again after a busy week of starting my job at CCPN. I got to sit back and relax by playing some music and hanging out with close friends. Nat was there at rehearsal since she and Adam were now dating. I felt happy for them. Nat especially deserved it.

We all sat around in a circle deciding what we should play for the next gig. I grabbed a notebook from my bag and wrote some suggestions down. Everyone agreed for sure on a few Smallpools and Sheppard covers along with Of Monsters and Men.

Chloe suggested doing a cover of 'Believe' by Mumford and Sons which everyone agreed that was a good idea.

"Does anyone want to do an acoustic over of something?" I asked as I twirled the pen around my fingers.

"What if we did 'Yellow'?" Todd suggested.

"The Coldplay one?" Matt asked.

"Yeah," Todd nodded, "Riley and I could do that one so you guys could rest for a bit."

"I like that idea." Adam nodded. "A few acoustic stuff wouldn't hurt." Everyone else chimed in on agreeing. After figuring out what we wanted to play we then worked on the order of playing them.

"Okay." I finished ordering the set list, "I'll make sure I type this up and print a few copies so that the sound guy has one as well." We then grabbed our instruments and ran through them a couple of times. Nat sat on the couch as she listened to us and did whatever with her phone. When we were done we packed our equipment up.

"How are things with Barry?" Adam asked as we put our stuff away.

"They're really good." I replied as I put a guitar away. "Were hanging out later today."

"That's good." Nat smiled and gave Adam a kiss on the cheek. "What are you guys going to do?"

"My parents invited me and my sister's family over for dinner."

"Isn't that a little sketchy for a date?" Adam raised a brow.

"No it's not a date." I shot back. "We're just hanging out. Besides, you've met my mother. I'm going to need the support so I don't die of criticism." Adam winced.

"I see your point." He replied sympathetically. "Your dad's not so bad, though."

"My dad's more understanding than my mom and doesn't expect perfection." I put another guitar away. "My mom and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye on things so our relationship is a bit strained."

"A bit is understated." Adam pointed out.

"So Barry's there to help you not suffer through it." Nat concluded.

"Basically." I nodded.

"Hope it goes well." Nat gave me a hug. "You better text me with details afterwards. If not, I'm hunting you down. If things work out between the two of you, I foresee double dates in the future."

"That wouldn't be a bad idea." I agreed. "And I promise I'll let you know how it goes later."

"See you later, Riley." Adam gave me a hug.

"See you later, guys." I hugged him back then grabbed my stuff and headed out. When I got home I had a couple of hours to kill, so I took a shower and changed into something nice, but pretty casual.

I slipped on a striped back and white shirt, an army green jacket I rolled to my elbows, jeans, and my dark brown combat boots. I debated on a slouchy beanie, but decided not to so I kept my hair at its usual wavy mess. I fed Link a bit of an early dinner around a quarter to five and headed out. I stopped off at Fresh Market again like last tine and grabbed a bottle of wine before heading over to Barry's.

**I'm on my way over. :)**

**Great! See you soon. :)**

I plugged Barry's address into the navigation app on my phone and headed over there. When I arrived I parked in front of the house and took a moment to absorb it all in. It was a decent two-story house that was a grayish-green color with white trim. There was a small porch that led to the front door and a large window that faced the neighborhood. It looked like a cozy home.

_Nice place,_ I thought to myself. I shut my car off and made my way to the front door. My hands shook a little as I approached the door and my heart was beating loudly. Why was I nervous? Stop being nervous! I hesitantly pressed the doorbell and waited. There was the sound of footsteps approaching the door and it opened.

"Hey, Riley." Barry greeted with a smile. _Holy crap she looks amazing._

"Hi, Barry." I smiled back. He leaned casually against the doorframe dressed in a navy blue and red plaid shirt with a white t-shirt beneath it, jeans, and his black high tops.

"Come inside." He moved aside for me.

"Nice place." I commented as I walked in.

"Yeah, it's not too bad." Barry shut the door behind us. The living room was an open area to the left of us with a small step. To the right was a u-shaped staircase with dark wooden floors. They matched the trim on the walls along with the wooden panels. The walls themselves were painted a cream color that complimented the wood. "I'll be right back. Just need to go grab a jacket from upstairs." He made his way quickly up the stairs.

"I can't tell you how many times he changed his clothes." Detective West chucked as he walked in from the back of the house. "Hi, Riley."

"Hi, Detective West." I greeted back and shook hands with him.

"Please, call me Joe." He replied. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other a lot more often, so there's no need for formalities."

"What makes you say that?" I raised my brows.

"Well for starters, Barry never shuts up about you." Joe chuckled. "I haven't seen him this happy in a good while." I gave a small smile and looked at the floor for a moment.

"I can relate." I replied.

"The second reason," Joe continued, "is that we caught Roger Clark." I froze.

"W-what?" I stammered. "Already?"

"We caught the son of a bitch. We got the evidence to prove a case, the judge gave us a warrant, and we arrested him." He explained.

"Oh, my God." I breathed. "I…thank you."

"We're just doing our job." Joe stuck his hands in his pockets. "We wouldn't have been able to find him so quickly if it wasn't for Barry. The moment he heard what happened he worked hard so they could get him. I can't tell you how many hours he spent at the lab to make sure we had everything we needed to get Clark."

"You mean he did that…for me?" My eyes widened.

"He cares a lot about you." Joe said simply. Barry came bounding down the stairs with a jacket on. "I would have shot you if you changed again, kid."

"What?" Barry shrugged at Joe. He then turned to me. "You ready?"

"Yea, I'm ready to head out." I nodded.

"Great, we'll see you later, Joe." Barry said. Joe walked over to him and clasped a hand on his shoulder.

"Keep this one, okay? I like her." Joe chuckled. "See you later, Riley."

"Have a good evening, Joe." I smiled. Barry and I then made our way to the door and headed out.

"So you're on a first-name basis with Joe now." Barry pointed out as we made our way to my car.

"Yeah, we talked for a bit." I replied. "Mainly about you. He didn't have anything bad to say."

"I think he has a biased opinion." He mused.

"He also said you guys caught Clark." I added.

"Yeah we did." We had stopped in front of the car.

"And how you worked hard to make sure there was a case." I continued, looking over at him.

"It was nothing. I had a promise to keep." Barry shrugged and smiled. Suddenly I embraced him in a hug.

"Thank you." I spoke softly as I kissed him on the cheek. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged back.

"You are very welcome." He spoke gently. After staying embraced in each other's arms for a bit Barry let go. "Come on, we don't want to keep your family waiting."

"Right." I agreed. I unlocked the car and we both climbed in. The drive over wasn't too terribly bad. I felt a little anxious and jittery knowing that the man I like worked God knows how hard to catch a rapist just because he cared about me, was sitting right next to me.

"How's your day been?" Barry asked.

"Not too bad." I shrugged. "I had a rehearsal with the band this morning."

"How'd that go?"

"It went well. We've got a gig next Saturday at the Watering Hole." I replied.

"Nice. I hope it goes well."

"You should come to it." I suggested. "Maybe even invite your friends Cisco and Caitlin. They weren't able to make it to the last one."

"That's not a bad idea." Barry agreed. "What time?"

"It's at eight."

"Well, you can definitely count me on being there." He smiled.

"Great." I smiled back. Within twenty minutes we were parked outside of my childhood home. "Just to give you a heads up, my mom and I have a bit of a strained relationship. If she says anything criticizing to you, I sincerely apologize. If she bugs you about your personal life I am deeply sorry, too."

"Thanks for the heads up. Anything else I need to know?"

"My dad isn't too bad. He knows where to not cross the line." I added. "He's pretty easy to get along with. As for my sister she's quiet, but incredibly nice. Her husband is a pretty relaxed and open guy, but he's a nice guy, too."

"Okay." Barry nodded. We climbed out of the car and I made sure to grab the bottle of wine before locking the doors. Barry gave me a curious look.

"Peace offering." I explained. "Plus my dad likes wine."

"Oh." He chuckled. "Where from?"

"Fresh Market."

"They sell wine?"

"Surprisingly good ones that are cheap."

"I'm going to have to keep that in mind." Barry gently took the bottle and looked at it. It was the same wine I bought the last time I had dinner with my family. We walked up to the front door and I took a deep breath. "Everything will be fine." He noticed my tension.

"Easier said than done." I bit my lower lip.

"Hey." He stopped us in our tracks. "You faced a hostage situation and practically warned the police about it. You stared into the face of death and survived. Dinner with your family is a piece of cake compared to this." I puffed my cheeks out and let out a breath.

"Except you haven't met my mom yet." I sighed. "I'd rather face the hostage situation again than sit and be constantly criticized by my mom."

"Trust me on this, okay?" He gave a small smile. He had a point.

"Okay." I nodded. I pressed the doorbell and waited. The door opened revealing my father.

"Hi, sweet pea!" My dad pulled me into a hug.

"Hi, Daddy." I chuckled. He let go of me and smiled. "Dad, this is Barry Allen. He's a friend of mine." I introduced them to each other. "Barry, this is my father William Lewis."

"Please, call me Bill." Dad stuck a hand out and Barry shook it. "Nice to meet you, Barry."

"You, too, sir." Barry smiled. "We brought wine for you as well." He handed my dad the bottle. Dad took the bottle and smiled.

"I like him already, Riley." Dad chuckled. "Come inside, both of you." We stepped inside and I shut the door behind us. Barry shrugged his jacket off and hung it up on the coat rack.

"So this is where you grew up." Barry looked around.

"Yep, this is where I lived." I nodded.

"Maggie, Riley's here." Dad announced as he walked towards the kitchen. Sure enough my mom came bustling out to us.

"Riley." She swooped in and hugged me. I clenched my teeth and hugged her back.

"Hi, Mom." I replied. She let go of me and smiled at Barry.

"Hi, you must be Barry." Mom shook hands with him. "I'm Riley's mom. You can call me Maggie."

"Hi." Barry smiled.

"Thank you for making sure Riley got home safely from the Jitters hostage situation." Mom gratefully said.

"It's the very least I could do." Barry assured with a gentle smile.

"Good man." Mom patted him on the cheek. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Feel free to make yourselves comfortable." She smiled and then headed back to the kitchen.

"Sorry about that." I muttered.

"About what?" He raised his brows.

"My mom." I sighed.

"Hey." Barry took my hand and squeezed it. "It's completely fine." I let out another sigh and nodded. "You should take me on a tour of the place."

"I think I can do that." I gave him a small smile. He grinned as he gazed back at me. "Barry?"

"Hmm?"

"You're still holding my hand."

"Yes, I am." He blushed, giving it another squeeze before letting go. I smiled and took him on a tour of the house. He seemed very interested in the tour, especially when we reached the living room. "You have a piano in here." He noted as he slowly walked around the living room.

"Yes we do." I nodded. "That's how I got my start on playing it." Barry gave me a funny look. "What?"

"You promised in the car on the way to lunch that you'd play something for me." He flashed a smile. I smiled and dropped my head a little.

"You're not going to let me forget that, are you?"

"Nope." He smirked.

"I suppose if I have to." I concluded, walking over to the piano and pulled the bench out. I sat down on it and started at the keys for a minute, trying to figure out what to play. Barry walked over and stood by the piano. I could feel his eyes on me as he waited patiently. Once I figured out what to play, I placed my hands on the keys and began.

My fingers flowed over the keys as I played a piece I had memorized. It's been a while since I last played it, but after playing it so many times the muscle memory came back instantly. As I kept playing I could still feel Barry's eyes on me. The piece was relaxing and I felt all tension disappear and I continued. Just like all pianists I swayed a little when I played. I wasn't over the top or dramatic with it because I would never hear the end about it from Nat. When I finished playing I released the pedal. I looked over at Barry who was slightly wide-eyed.

"What?" I asked.

"You shouldn't have dropped your piano minor." He sat down on the bench next to me and smiled. "What was that one?"

"That one was 'Autumn' by Brian Crain." I explained. "I learned that one during college."

"I really like that one." He smiled. "You play beautifully."

"Thank you." I smiled back. "It's one of my personal favorites."

"I can see why." He bumped shoulders with me and I bumped back with a chuckle. Barry looked at the piano and sighed. "My best piano skills allow me to serenade you with 'Hot Cross Buns'." To prove his point, he played it and ended with a dramatic pose. "Look, I'm you!" I whacked him on the shoulder playfully.

"I do not do that." I narrowed my eyes at him, but smiled. Barry laughed in amusement. "How about we meet the others?"

"Sounds like a good idea." He agreed. We stood up and I led the way to the backyard. Anna and Ethan were sitting on the patio while Sam and Rebecca were playing on the swings.

"Hi, guys." I greeted as we walked out on to the deck. Anna turned around and smiled.

"Hey, sis." She stood up and embraced me in a hug. Her long dark brown hair was swept up in an elegant messy bun again. God damn, she could even make messy hair look great. I hugged my sister back, her flowery scent filling my nose.

"Hi, Riley." Ethan smiled as he sat back and relaxed. Anna released me from her hug, but she kept an arm around my shoulders.

"Who's your friend, Riley?" Anna raised her brows in curiosity.

"This is Barry Allen. He's a close friend of mine." I introduced. "Barry, this is my sister Anna and her husband Ethan."

"Pleasure to meet you, Barry." Anna shook hands with him.

"Nice to meet you, too." Barry smiled. Ethan stood up and shook hands with him.

"Well, come sit down." Anna gently pushed me to the table. The three of us pulled the chairs out and sat down.

"So how do you two know each other?" Ethan asked.

"One of my photography sessions I did was with his friend and her boyfriend." I explained. "We all met up at Jitters afterwards and we've been hanging out ever since."

"Aw, that's cute." Anna complimented. "So, Barry, are you from around here? What do you do for a living?"

"Yes, I lived in Central City all my life." Barry replied. "And I'm a forensic scientist for the CCPD."

"No offense, but you look a little young to be one." Anna said.

"None taken." Barry waved it away. "I get that a lot."

"Take that as a compliment." Ethan pointed out. "Once you hit forty, everything goes downhill." We all chuckled in amusement.

"Aunt Riley!" Sam screamed at the top of his lungs. I turned around in my chair and found him running up to the deck. I picked him up and placed him on my leg, hugging him. Rebecca ran up and she sat on my other leg. I wrapped both of my arms around them and blew a raspberry on Rebecca's cheek.

"Good grief, Rebecca, you have a bony butt. And you have a bit of dirt on your face." I shifted my leg a little. Rebecca only giggled and wiggled around, digging more into my leg. I took my thumb and gently wiped a streak of dirt on her cheek and figured I could sacrifice a leg. "Ooh, Sam, I like your shirt." Sam was wearing a Flash t-shirt and he grinned.

"He's the best!" He piped up. I briefly looked over at Barry and he smiled. "Aunt Riley," Sam asked as he looked at Barry, "is he your boyfriend?" Ethan suddenly started having a coughing fit. I felt my cheeks go red and saw Anna look a bit mortified.

"Sorry, choked on my spit." Ethan got the last of his coughs out.

"Smooth." Anna smirked. _Shit, Sam, why did you have to ask that?_

"Umm, no, buddy." I replied. "This is Barry. He's just a really good friend of mine."

"That's what they all say." Rebecca said in my ear. I squinted at her.

"You telling me you have a boyfriend at school?" I raised a brow.

"Maybe." Rebecca grinned. "Jeffery and I only hold hands at recess."

"I am going to have to have a word with your parents later, young lady." I teased. "Stop growing up so fast."

"Oh, don't even get me started when she's actually old enough to date." Ethan groaned.

"Pretty sure Dad can provide some advice on that." Anna laughed.

"Barry?" Sam asked. "Do you like the Flash?"

"Sam likes to ask everyone about him." Anna explained to Barry.

"Yeah, I like the Flash." Barry grinned at Sam. "He's my favorite." Sam leaned over and gave him a high-five. "Can I tell you a secret?" My nephew nodded excitedly. "I've met the Flash." Sam's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Whoa…" Sam breathed. "How? Are you really good friends with him? What's he like?"

"I work with the police." Barry explained with a grin. "He and I are pretty good friends and he's a cool guy."

"That's so cool." Sam smiled hugely.

"And your Aunt Riley has met him, too." Barry looked up at me with a smile. "She even took his picture." Sam whipped around, looking up at me in awe.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yep." I nodded. "He's definitely a pretty cool guy."

"When was this?" Anna asked with great interest.

"First time was at Jitters with…the…you know," I tried my best to avoid directly talking about how a knife was held to my throat. "And then the second time was one night after work to make sure I was okay."

"And the photo of him in the newspaper." Ethan added. "You took that one did, right?" I nodded. "Wow, I'm impressed."

"Dinner's ready." Mom came out an announced. Sam slid down and he hurried inside quickly. Rebecca tapped my shoulder as everyone else headed in.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I think Barry should be your boyfriend." She giggled quietly as she looked at him. Barry gave her a funny look and she giggled again.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"He's cute." She smiled innocently. I looked over at him, admiring him from a distance.

"Yeah, he is." I smiled at the thought. "Come on, let's go get some dinner."

"Can I sit next to you?"

"Of course you can." I agreed. We got up and followed suit into the house.

"What was that about?" Barry asked quietly with a smile.

"Oh, nothing." I smirked. "Just some casual girl talk between an aunt and her niece."

"She looks a lot like you." He commented.

"She does." I nodded. As we headed into the dining room, we all helped put the food on the table along with the dishes. Barry offered to help, but we all insisted that he'd sit since he was a guest. Dad had wine glasses for everyone except Sam, Rebecca, and Anna. He opened the bottle of wine we brought and placed it on the table. There were two dishes of lasagna along with garlic bread, green beans, and a fruit salad. Mom had brought out pitchers of fruit punch and water for the little ones and everything was set. My father and Ethan sat at both ends of the table, Anna sat next to Ethan while Sam was between her and Mom. She sat next to Dad, so that left Rebecca sitting next to Ethan, me in the middle, and Barry next to my dad.

As we sat down I could see that Barry was a little nervous. I slipped my hand into his under the table and squeezed it. Barry squeezed back and gave me a small smile. With the table set Dad said a prayer to bless and thank for the meal prepared before us, then we dug in.

"So, Barry," My dad started making light conversation. "What do you do for a living?" Barry took a sip of the wine I poured for him before he spoke.

"I work as a forensic scientist with the CCPD." He replied.

"Ah, law enforcement." Dad seemed interested. "You look a little young for a forensic scientist."

"He gets that a lot, but he's great at his job." I put in. "One of the best."

"I take all of the evidence we find at crime scenes and I gather any information from them to catch criminals." Barry explained.

"What cases?" Dad was actually curious.

"Bank robberies, break-ins, homicides, stuff like that." Barry made sure to be careful around the kids. "There was one case with the Marden brothers last year where I tracked them down to a farm based on a tire track and type of fertilizer the farm used." I raised my brows at him. Holy shit, he really was that good.

"Very impressive." Ethan commented.

"Do you catch the bad guys with the Flash?" Sam asked.

"Sometimes I do." Barry nodded. "I like to stay in my lab and let him and the police get them." I took a forkful of lasagna and chewed thoughtfully. So far, so good.

"Have you had any unexplainable cases lately?" Anna asked.

"We've had a few." Barry nodded. "We're still trying to crack down the exact cause of the Bowman fire from a few days ago."

"I heard about that one." Mom put in. "Riley, was that the fire they used your photo in for the paper?" I nodded.

"Yeah, I was out at lunch with a coworker and we weren't too far from the site." I took a sip of wine. "I was taking pictures of the scene and managed to get the photo of him."

"Aunt Riley?" Sam asked.

"Hmm?" I looked over at him.

"The next time you get a photo of him, could I keep it?" He asked curiously. "I want to take it to school and show it to my teacher."

"How about hang it up in your room, sweetie?" Anna asked. "That way you won't lose it at school."

"If I get another photo of him I promise you can have it." I smiled. "Except he likes to move really fast so it's hard to get a picture of him." Barry coughed a little suddenly and my eyes flew over to him.

"Sorry." He assured. "Wrong pipe." There was a look in his eye that had me guessing for a bit.

"Where did you go to school?" Mom asked.

"I went to the high school here in town and then for college I went to CCU."

"Riley went to both of them." Dad commented.

"Yeah, we found out we graduated the same year for both." Barry nodded.

"And you guys never ran into each other?" Ethan asked.

"Nah, I was the artistic musical kid that hung out in the band and art room." I said as I cut into my piece of lasagna. "There's no way we would have crossed paths in college. That campus is huge."

"We might have had a few classes together in high school." Barry pursed his lips in thought. I tried my best in building up a steel wall to prevent myself from reading his mind. It took a lot of effort. "If not that, I might have seen you in the library or working on a mural."

"I remember making those." I recalled. "I made one for the science wing and another one for a stairwell."

"I remember walking by those!" It dawned on Barry. "I had AP science classes and every time I walked by the one in the science wing I kept wondering who made that."

"Yeah, that was me." I smiled.

"I do remember seeing you work on the one in the stairwell." Barry replied.

"That one was my favorite." I explained. "The art teacher for that class gave me a mural project and had me paint something that had to do with Central City. So, I painted the skyline."

"I think the yearbook staff managed to get a picture of you painting it." Barry's brows furrowed as he concentrated. "Your hair was longer, though." I chuckled and nodded.

"Do you have any family around?" Mom asked. Uh oh…

"I'm an only child, but yes I have family." Barry replied. "My mother died when I was eleven and given to certain circumstances, I was taken in by a family friend and his daughter who is my age. He's a detective with the police and his daughter is one of Riley's coworkers. She helped her get the job at CCPN, actually. They've been really good to me growing up and they became my adopted family." Something flickered in my mother's eyes.

_I knew she wouldn't be capable of getting a job on her own. She's too wrapped up on that damn band and photography business of hers_ , my mother thought coldly. "What about your father?"

"Umm," Barry shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat.

"That's okay." Dad noticed and waved it away. He knew my mom was staring to reach an uncomfortable topic. I narrowed my eyes a little at my mom and she looked away from me. "My father wasn't around much when I was growing up. No hard feelings, Barry." Barry gave a small smile and nodded. We continued eating dinner and Mom stopped with the personal questions. Barry had at least four servings of lasagna and some ungodly number of garlic bread pieces.

"How are you not fat?" I asked as soon as everyone was out of earshot to grab desert. "You ate like almost everything."

"I…run a lot." Barry shrugged. "And I have a fast metabolism." I shook my head in disbelief as Anna brought out three pies for desert. Dad also brought out some home-made ice cream.

"There's apple, cherry, and blueberry." She directed. Apple was my absolute favorite. I got myself a slice and put a scoop of vanilla on top. It was heavenly bliss in my mouth when I took a bite.

"Anna, this is frigging delicious." I groaned.

"Rebecca helped make that one." Anna smiled. She knew it was my favorite. I looked down at Rebecca and she grinned back.

"You did a good job, kiddo." I rubbed her on the head. We continued with desert and talked some more with each other. Barry was able to get to know everyone a little better by learning what they did for a living. They were able to get to know him better as well, too. When it was half past eight Sam was starting to fall asleep on the couch. That was Anna's cue that she needed to get them home to bed. That was our cue to leave as well.

I exchanged hugs with my family as Barry shook hands. When I hugged Anna I was careful to avoid the slight baby bump that was appearing.

"Thank you so much for dinner." Barry thanks my parents. "The food was delicious." Dad gave him a firm handshake.

"Absolutely no problem. It was a pleasure meeting you." Dad smiled.

"Come back any time." Mom said as I handed Barry his jacket.

"We'll keep that in mind." I agreed as we headed out the door. "G'night, guys."

"Drive safe, you two." Dad called as we made our way to my car.

"I'll make sure she does." Barry grinned. As we headed to my car, Barry opened my door for me. "I think I made a lasting impression on them."

"I am more than certain that you did." I smiled as I climbed in. He climbed in on his side and I started the car. Once we were buckled in, we made our way back to Barry's. "Sorry about my mom and her questions."

"It's fine." He assured.

"I was a bit worried when she started asking questions about your parents." I said bitterly.

"Years of people asking has taught me ways to work around it." He took my free hand and gently squeezed it. "Pretty sure that saying your dad is in prison for something he didn't do may give your parents the wrong impression about me." He chuckled.

"Just a bit." I chuckled with him. "In all seriousness I do think they all really like you. Especially Sam."

"I would hope so." He smiled. As we drove to his place we kept talking about the evening. "You're quite adorable around your niece and nephew."

"I love them to death." I smiled. "That was also pretty cute what you did when Sam asked you questions. He absolutely loves the Flash. I think he'd die of happiness if he ever met him." Barry chuckled as he looked ahead. Eventually we reached his house and I park in the front like earlier.

"Joe's not home." He observed. "Must be out somewhere." I shut the car engine off and we climbed out. Barry waited as I came around over to him. He offered his arm and I looped mine around his as we made our way up to the porch. "I had a really good time tonight."

"Yeah, it wasn't too bad." I agreed with a small smile. "To be honest I was worried that you would think it was weird to have dinner with my family."

"Nah, your family's great." Barry assured. "I really like them."

"Good." I smiled.

"I still think we should do a dinner date sometime. I owe you one by now." My heart fluttered at the idea.

"I wouldn't protest to that." I smiled as we reached the porch, climbing up the steps. We reached the top and both of us casually leaned against the columns. I noticed him staring at me again. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No." Barry chuckled. "You just look really nice." I smiled sheepishly and looked away for a bit, sticking my hands in my pockets. Since I first met Barry, I haven't heard that from anyone who was deliberately trying to get into my pants. Though they phrased it quite differently.

"Well, thank you." I rocked a little on my feet and smiled. "You look quite dashing."

"Dress to impress." He reminded me.

"That indeed." I laughed. I looked up at the sky and saw a few stars in the sky. I could make out the Orion constellation along with a few others. "When I was younger we used to go camping out in the country during the summer just to get away from the city for a few days. All of that light pollution was gone and you could really see sky for what it is. You could see trillions of stars and bands from the Milky Way. A lot times we would lay out on blankets and just watch meteor showers together." I let out a happy sigh at the memory.

_My God, she's beautiful_ , Barry thought. I flinched slightly at his sudden 'voice'. I completely forgot that I dropped my barrier. I turned a little and looked over at him, eyeing his lips every few seconds. He slowly approached me with a gentle smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile back at him. For once in my life I actually felt happy. Happier than I was with Grant before he cheated on me. I closed the space between us and smiled at him.

"Your eyes are really green." I spoke quietly as I gazed at him.

"So are yours." He tucked a loose strand behind my ear. His eyes every so often kept flickering to my lips. _Just do it. Just kiss her, Barry._ God I really wanted to kiss him, too! I slowly leaned in towards him, head tilted a little as I drew near. I could feel his breath tickle my face and the scent of his cologne fill my nose. My heart was beating so loudly I was afraid he could hear it. It was beating so fast that I was afraid it would burst out of my chest. My eyes fluttered down to his lips and I closed my eyes.

Then I felt his soft lips on mine. He was very gentle with the kiss as we held it. All thoughts I heard from my own and everyone around me completely disappeared. There was nothing. Just silence and it never sounded so sweet. I felt one of his hands come up and lightly cup my cheek, his thumb lightly caressing it. As we kissed each other the spinning world stopped around us. I felt weightless and something burst on the inside. Something…happy. We parted slowly, gazing at each other.

"Whoa…" I murmured, a little breathless from the kiss.

"I've wanted to do that for a while." Barry said softly.

"Really?" A coy smile appeared on my face.

"Since the night we almost did, but your cat interrupted us."

"He got jealous." I mused. "Damn cat." I would never forgive him for that. Barry laughed softly and I pressed my lips against his. He smiled into it as both of his hands cupped my face and I lightly gripped his forearms. He moved his mouth expertly over mine and mine moved with his. When we pulled back after several long moments I saw small flashes. "…I see stars…" I murmured softly.

"What?" He smiled.

"I see stars." I mused. Barry chuckled in amusement.

"Maybe I should stop so you can breathe." He rested his forehead against mine and relaxed his hands on my waist.

"Nonsense." I disagreed. He was a _really_ good kisser. "You sure you haven't dated much?"

"I'm positive." He kissed my forehead. "Though I must say, I'm quite impressed." I blushed.

"I try." I shrugged.

"Well you definitely caught my attention." He smiled. I let out a happy sigh and closed my eyes for a minute. "I really did have a good time tonight."

"I'm glad you did." I smile back at him. We stayed quiet like that for a bit until Barry's phone rang. He let out a groan and buried his face into my shoulder.

"I'm sorry I'm such a buzzkill." His voice was muffled. I laughed and gently pulled his face towards mine.

"You did nothing wrong." I assured him. To prove my point, I gave him another kiss and smiled. "You'd better get that." Barry fished his phone out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" He greeted. His face furrowed within a few seconds. "Yeah, just give me a bit." There was more silence. "Cisco says hi." I chuckled.

"Tell him he's a dick for ruining the moment." I giggled.

"Riley says you're a dick for ruining the moment." Barry spoke and waited a bit. "He says he sorry." I stuck out my tongue and he grinned. "Yeah, I'll be there in a bit. Just hold on. See you soon." He hung up the phone. "Sorry." He winced.

"Nah, it's fine. I have a jealous cat waiting for me at home." I smiled.

"You sure?" He raised his brows.

"I'm positive." I nodded. "Do you need a ride?"

"No, I'm good. It's within running distance." He replied.

"Okay." I smiled at him. Barry leaned down and kissed me with a little more urgency than the previous kisses.

"I'll call you tomorrow." He broke away from the kiss, leaving me breathless. "I promise you that."

"I'm holding you to it." I smirked. "G'night, Barry."

"G'night, Riley." He kissed my forehead. Barry made sure I got into my car before he went off to do whatever Cisco needed him for. With a honk from my car and a wave from him, I took off towards home. The entire drive home I was on cloud nine and I enjoyed every moment of it.

When I got home I flopped on to my bed on my back. Link jumped up and head-butted me. I scratched him behind the ears.

"Looks like you now aren't the only guy in my life." I kissed the top of his head. Link glowered at me and yawned. For the rest of the evening I was too happy to sleep. I grabbed my guitar and played it until I was too tired to stay awake. When I went to bed, it greeted me with a pleasant drowsy feeling and I slumbered off to sleep peacefully.


	14. Chapter 14

Just as Barry promised he called me the next day. We talked about all sorts of things; the previous night, the kiss, more interest, our favorite stuff, etc. We also planned the dinner date for Wednesday at an Italian restaurant.

"Is there a specific dress code you'd like?" I asked while I was painting something.

"Wear something nice." He replied. My mind went to the black dress I wore to gallery exhibit openings.

"I can do that." I agreed.

"I might be a bit late from work, so just meet me there at seven-thirty." Barry added.

"Definitely sounds like a plan." I smiled. We continued to talk a bit more after that. Barry explained how Cisco needed help on something. I didn't poke too much because I respected Barry's personal business. I didn't want to come across as a creepy stalker chick. That came off _really_ well when I was still with Grant. However, Barry did say Cisco was eager to come to the gig on Saturday. They texted Caitlin and she agreed as well. Cool, I get to meet some of the people who saved Barry's life.

After we hung up I called Nat and spilled the beans about last night. When I told her about the kiss she let out a scream so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear. God she had a pair of lungs. We continued talking until there was a knock at my door.

"Hang on, Nat, I'll call you back." I spoke and hung up. Quickly I wiped the paint off of my hands and headed to the door. When I looked in the peephole I was very surprised to find my mother standing there. "What the…?" I murmured. She never came here by herself. She was always with Dad when she was here. This can't be good. I sighed and unlocked the door, letting her in.

"We need to talk." She stormed in, her mouth a very thin line.

"Good morning to you, too." I frowned as I closed the door. Mom stood there in the middle of my apartment and made a face at the surroundings.

"I don't know why you continue to live here after that explosion went off." She shook her head in disgust. Link darted to my room to hide beneath my bed. He hated my mom and I don't blame him.

"Because it's still in good condition and affordable." I crossed my arms. "What do you want?"

"We need to talk about that Barry fellow." Mom spoke.

"What about him?"

"I don't want you getting involved with him." She replied flatly. _What?_

"Excuse me?" I narrowed my eyes.

"You heard me. I don't want you to see him." She clarified.

"Why?" I scoffed. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I don't want my daughter getting involved with the son of a criminal!" Mom's voice was rising. "I did some digging last night because his name sounded familiar. His father murdered his wife!"

"His father was trying to save her because he was a doctor!" My voice shook. "What the hell, Mom? I'm twenty-five years old. Why for fuck's sake are you deciding who I should be with?"

"Because I want you safe!"

"Barry works with the CCPD, his adopted father is a police detective for the CCPD, his friend's boyfriend is also a detective for the CCPD." I listed off. "I'm pretty sure he's not a criminal. He's definitely not a fucking cheater like Grant!"

"How would you know? Don't you dare use that language, young lady!"

"I'll use it all the fucking hell I want." I shot back at her. "And if you wonder how I know, I actually trust Barry. Barry actually care about me."

"His father is in prison!" She reminded.

"For a crime he didn't commit!" My hands trembled. "Why are you so critical of everything I do?"

"Because you're my daughter!"

"Because I'm your daughter or you want me to be like Anna?" I demanded furiously. "News flash, Mom, I'm nothing like Anna. I'm not married to some successful business man like Ethan. I don't have children and I'm not perfect like her. I never was! I fought so hard for your approval all my life, but I'm fucking done trying to please you. I was the kid who liked getting dirty and play outside; not compete in stupid shit like pageants that Anna did. I'm done being compared to Ana. I'm not her and I will never be like her. So stop trying to fucking control my God damn life, learn to respect my privacy, and learn to fucking accept who I am."

"I do not criticize you! Nor do I compare you to your sister!"

"God, you're such a hypocrite!" I cried. "You did it all the time when I was in school. Hell, you do it now because of my photography business and my band. You keep trying to push this mindset where you want me to be like you and Anna, but I'm nothing like you. I'm not perfect. You wonder why I always came to Dad for help? Dad understood everything. He never expected perfection or forced me to do something I didn't want to do." Mom stood there trembling in anger.

"I still don't want you to see him."

"You can't control my life." I shot back. "You know what? I don't have to listen to this shit. Just please get out."

"Riley— "

"I said 'GET OUT'!" I shouted at her. A strange look came over her face and she headed towards the door.

"You are no daughter of mine." She took one last look before slamming the door behind her. I stared at the door in disbelief. It felt like I got sucker punched in the gut. Her words kept echoing in my mind. Link came from my room and jumped on the couch, meowing at me with a questionable look.

"She…disowned me?" Tears pricked at my eyes. Quickly I grabbed my phone and dialed Nat again.

"About damn time you call me back. What the hell happened?" Nat answered annoyed.

"Nat?" My voice trembled. "Something bad happened between me and my mom…" She was quiet for a moment.

"Do you want me to come over?" Nat asked gently. "I can grab something from Jitters."

"Please?" A few tears fell down. I took a deep breath, trying to hold myself together.

"Give me half an hour, okay?"

"Okay." I nodded.

"I'll see you soon. Hang in there, Riley."

"I'll do what I can." I agreed. Nat hung up and I laid face down on the couch for a bit. I couldn't keep it together anymore; I completely broke. Last time I cried this hard was the day I ended it with Grant. Only those tears were of hatred and betrayal. These were of pain and loss. Why was it hitting me so hard? I tried so hard to win her approval during high school, even now. _Because she's your mother_ , a small voice told me.

Link came out from beneath my bed and curled up next to me. He purred loudly and licked my nose. He looked at me with curiosity and head-butted me. I curled up with him and buried my face in his soft, velvet black fur. I debated on calling Barry. I wanted him to be over here, but then I would have to explain that my mom looked him up and learned about his dad. I knew how he felt about the subject. I laid there on my side for a while until I heard a knock at my door.

 _I hope she's okay,_ Nat's mental voice reached me. _I'm worried about her_. I let out a sigh and reluctantly got up. Link stayed in his spot and watched me open the door. Nat stood there with a to-go bag of baked goods and two cups of coffee from Jitters.

"God, Riley." She hurried through the door. "You look like shit."

"Hello." I mumbled and closed the door behind her. Nat put the bag and coffee on the coffee table then hung her jacket up. She came over to me and wrapped her arms around me. I numbly returned the hug.

"Let's get you some coffee and a banana nut muffin in you." She guided me to the couch and we sat down. Link moved his perch to the back of the couch, facing towards me. He butted my hand with his head and I scratched him affectionately. Nat smiled at the sight. "You've got quite the mamma's boy for a cat." Nat scratched him near his tail and he lifted his rear end in response. When Nat fished out the baked goods and handed me my coffee, Link settled back down lazily flicking his tail.

"Thanks." I said as she handed me my food. A faint smell of caramel reached my nose. "You know me all too well, Nat."

"What are friends for?" She took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. "Shit, that burned my tongue."

"They don't put those caution warnings on there for nothing." I raised a brow, pulling my knees to my chin.

"Yeah, whatever, smartass." She stuck her tongue at me. I chuckled weakly in amusement. She propped an elbow on the couch and rested her head against her hand. "So, what happened?" I took a careful sip and let out a sigh.

"Well,"" I began. "During dinner last night my mom practically interrogated Barry on his personal life. When it came to the subject of his parents it got awkward because his mom died when he was eleven."

"Oh, God," Nat breathed. "That's horrible. How?"

"His mom was murdered." I stared at my coffee. "The police arrested his father and imprisoned him because they thought he killed her."

"He didn't do it, did he?" Nat's eyes were wide.

"No." I shook my head. "They arrested him because they found him covered in her blood and a knife was nearby. The evidence may have looked pretty damning, but he didn't do it. Barry's dad was a doctor. He was trying to save her, not kill her."

"So his dad is sitting in Iron Heights for a crime he didn't commit."

"Yes." I nodded. "They don't know anything about the real killer. Barry said he saw something that night, but no one believed him. They all thought he was being delusional or trying to cover up for his dad."

"What did he see?" She asked.

"This is going to sound nuts, but he said he saw a yellow man in lightning." I winced. Nat was quiet for a moment.

"Honestly I'm not surprised." She replied. 'This city's seen some weird shit after that explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Yeah, but this happened long before the explosion." My brows furrowed.

"So how do you explain it?"

"I don't know." I shook my head.

"Well, what else happened with your mom?" Nat asked.

"She must've done some digging on him because she was pretty pissed off when she was over here earlier. She told me she didn't want me seeing or getting involved with Barry." I sighed.

"The fuck?" Nat's jaw dropped. "W-what?"

"Yep." I frowned. "A mother tries to control her twenty-five-year-old daughter's life."

"What did you do?"

"I blew up in her face." I replied. "I defended Barry and then it ended up being more of my mom making me be more like Anna. We ended up yelling at each other." I could feel the pressure of tears forming. "Then she told me I wasn't her daughter anymore." A few silent tears fell down my face as Nat clasped a hang over her mouth.

"Oh, my God." She breathed. "Riley, I'm so sorry." I swallowed and took a sip from my coffee.

"Yeah," I stared at the floor. "Me, too."

"Are you going to tell Barry?" She asked. I let out a sigh.

"I will." I ran my fingers through my hair. "Later. I don't want to bug him right now with this." Nat pulled me into a hug.

"I may not know Barry as well as you do, but he seems like a really great guy to talk to and someone who understands. Don't forget that, okay?"

"I won't forget." I agreed. She released me from the hug and we continued sipping our coffee.

"How does your dad and the others feel about Barry?" Nat asked carefully.

"They all seemed to really like him." I bit into my muffin. "Dad was pretty impressed on how he tracked the Marden brothers to a farm simply by telling from a tire track in some animal shit."

"Really?" Her eyes went wide. "Damn, girl, you got yourself a superhero of some sorts."

"More of a behind-the-scenes hero." I shrugged.

"Still, that's like crazy good." She pointed out. I gave her a small smile in amusement. Nat stayed with me for a few more hours to make sure I was okay. When Nat left later in the day I ordered some takeout from Jaded Dragon. I wasn't in a good mood to cook with the events of today. Barry texted me later as well. I was reluctant to tell him, but this was something he needed to know.

**My mom and I got into a fight earlier today…**

**Do you need me to come over?**

**That's not necessary.**

**That's girl code for 'Yes, please come over.' :P**

**No it's not. It's really not necessary.**

**Nope. I'm coming over. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be there. I'm at Cisco's so it won't take me long.**

**You sure? I don't want to bug you.**

**I'm sure. I know that from the moment we first started talking to each other.**

I bit my lip and slowly smiled.

**Okay…**

**Just give me a few minutes. Do you need anything to eat?**

**Nah, I ordered Chinese.**

**Well, I'll stop off at Big Belly to grab something for myself. Then I'll be over.**

**Okay.**

True to his word, Barry showed up a few minutes later with my Chinese food.

"I caught the delivery guy on the way up." He smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, my God, you're amazing." I took my food from him and let him inside.

"I try." He closed the door behind us. I headed into the kitchen and put my stuff on the table. Barry followed me and did the same. I let out a sigh and scratched my forehead. "You okay?" He asked with a cautious gaze.

"I'm fine." I assured. "Just a long day." Barry walked over to me and gently slipped his hands in mine.

"What happened? I'm assuming this is about your mom." He asked gently and I nodded.

"She came over this morning all batshit crazy. She did some digging on you and found out what really happened to your parents. She told me she didn't want me to get involved with you." Hurt and anger flashed behind his eyes.

"W-what?" Barry stammered.

"I know." I replied. "She found out the truth about your dad and she told me to stay away from you."

"And?"

"I told her she could fuck off." I shrugged. "She can't control my life and that I'm not my sister. She didn't take that too well and it turned into a shouting match, which in the end resulted in her saying that I'm not her daughter anymore." Barry slowly let go of my hands and started pacing the kitchen. "Barry?"

"This is my fault. I'm so sorry." His face was creased with worry. "You shouldn't lose your relationship with your mom." I walked up to him and slipped my hands in his.

"I've had an estranged relationship with her eve since I was a kid. You've had nothing to do with this." I looked up at him. "I promise you that."

"Do…do you regret last night? The kiss?" Sadness filled his eyes.

"No." I shook my head. "I don't regret a single second of it. I'm not embarrassed either. You could have wings or something and I still wouldn't care." Barry let out a chuckle and wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face against his chest and let out a sigh, tension escaping me.

"Feel better?" He asked. I looked up at him and planted a soft kiss on his lips. Barry kissed back, moving his mouth methodically over mine. Then I could feel him smiling into it before pulling back.

"Much better." I agreed.

"Let's get some food in you." He smiled and kissed me on the nose. I greatly appreciated Barry's company the rest of the time he was there. At first I was afraid he wouldn't take the news so well. I think his opinion changed when I told my mom off or that I wasn't embarrassed by the fact his dad is in prison. Barry knew the truth of what happened that night and I believe him.

* * *

Over the course of the next few days I couldn't help but be happy. Sure, there was the whole ordeal with my mom saying I wasn't her daughter anymore, but I could give zero shits about it. I'm done trying to please her. If she wants to make up, she has to be the one to apologize. She hasn't spoken to me since Sunday.

On Tuesday evening I decided to treat myself by going to the bookstore after work. I was in major need of updating the classical novels of my personal library. After I got off of work that evening, I headed back to my apartment, grabbed a quick dinner, and walked to the bookstore. It wasn't too far and one of those ones with a coffee shop. When I walked into the bookstore I was greeted with the scent of coffee and the pages of books waiting to be read. When I was younger my dad used to say I had more books than friends. Mom was concerned about that, but Dad said it made me more imaginative.

I headed to the classical section and lightly ran my fingers along the spines of the books I've read. My fingers drummed over other books until I landed on a copy of _Dracula_. I pulled it out and thumbed through the pages. I set the copy back and searched for another book. There was a collection of works by Poe and another one that was entirely of Shakespeare. I didn't have anything by Shakespeare in my arsenal. Maybe I'll get it. I also felt like in a writing mood so I headed to the journal section.

I was picky on journals. Really picky. I tended to write a lot so I usually tend to go for the journals with lots of pages. I took a bit in browsing the books and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Hard time picking one?" A woman spoke. I looked up to find an older woman with short blond hair and a nice looking coat on.

"Yeah, happens every time I come here." I nodded and stood up. "I write in my free time."

"It's nice to see the younger generation write in books." The woman smiled.

"Best way to organize one's thoughts." I smiled. The woman looked at the journals and then back at me.

"I recommend this one." She pulled one off and handed it to me. The book was thick with pages and a leather cord wrapped around the book. The cover was a light tan with actual music printed on it.

"It's perfect." I smiled at the book.

"You have the hands of a pianist." The woman mused.

"I did major in music for a bit in college, but then I switched to photography." I replied. "My professor wasn't the greatest."

"What a shame." The woman shook her head. "Do you still play?"

"I do, actually." I nodded. "I still play piano and have a band."

"Such a musical spirit." The woman murmured. "Don't' let anyone tell you you're not good enough." She grasped my hand and smiled.

"Will do." I chuckled and smiled. The woman patted my hand and left. I smiled at the thought.

 _What a nice lady._ Before I paid for the journal and Shakespeare book I took a quick look at the fiction novels. One in particular interested me; _The Night Circus_. A while back Thalia and I were discussing books and she'd brought it up. It had a Harry Potter-vibe with the magic and spells, but it took place in the past with a gothic setting.

It was about two people who practiced in magic that worked at a peculiar circus. One was a woman who posed as an illusionist while the other was a man who served as an assistant to the creator of the circus. The two are destined to duel each other, but they fall in love. The summary striked me with a great deal of interest so I grabbed a copy. I paid for my books and headed out.

"Riley?" An all-too-familiar voice called out as I headed in the direction of my apartment. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

" _Shit_." I muttered quietly to myself. I turned around to find Grant standing close by. "Grant," I forced a smile. "Hi."

"Hey," He approached me smoothly. "Did you get anything good?"

"What?" I was surprised.

"The bag from the bookstore." Grant gestured to the bag. "Did you get anything good?"

"Yeah, I got a few things." I replied. "Did…you follow me?" _Be civilized, Riley._

"I remember you like to go here." He shrugged.

"I see." I said with some uncertainty.

"I swear I'm not stalking you." He held his hands up in defense. I gave him a hard look, but slacked off a little. "How have you been since the whole hostage situation at Jitters?"

"I've been a little on edge, but it's gotten better." I replied.

"I could have sworn they were going to kill you right there on the spot."

"They didn't, though."

"Because of the Flash."

"Yes." I nodded. We were quiet for a bit.

"So are you and that Barry guy still hanging out and seeing each other?" Grant asked.

"Yeah, took him to meet my parents and Anna's family. They all really like him" I purposely left out where my mother stormed into my apartment. He didn't need to know that.

"Oh." He replied numbly. "I…don't like it."

"No one said you had to" I put back.

"Well, I know but he's all…"

"Skinny and socially awkward?" I finished. "So what? I'm the same way. You didn't seem to have a problem with me until…"

"Until I fucked up." Grant sighed. "I regret that day so much."

"Which part? The part where we broke up or the part where I caught you fucking another woman and you lied to me for months?" Grant flinched. "You broke me, Grant. For months, you broke me and I felt worthless. I thought I wasn't good enough for anyone because you cheated on me. What did I do to deserve that? What did I do wrong?"

"It wasn't you…" He began.

"Bullshit on the whole "It's not you, it's me'. It very well had something to do with me! Was it the sex? Was it not good enough? Is that why you cheated on me with some hooker?" I trembled a little.

"Riley, stop. You're causing a scene." He shifted uncomfortably from the unwanted eyes of passing people.

"So what if I cause a scene?" I threw my hands up. "At least now people know what a lying and cheating scum you are. I'm happy with Barry, okay? If you don't like it, then fine. Don't think you can come crawling back and apologize to make everything all hunky-dory." I let out a sigh. "Just go. Please." A funny look reached Grant's face.

"Fine. Have a nice life." He turned and left. _Fucking bitch. I tried to be civil. Hope that Benny guy dumps her ass._ I glared at his back.

 _Go fuck yourself with a cactus!_ I mentally screamed at him. I turned and headed in the direction of my apartment. The walk was quiet as I got lost in my thoughts. I was so occupied I nearly missed the turn into the alley I used as a shortcut. I stopped myself and sighed. They alley was dark and creepy, but it was the quickest way home. I checked my keys for my pepper spray. Feeling a little secure, I took a deep breath and headed down the alley.

Unpleasant smells reached my noise as I trudged on. Sewer smells crept up from the drains, dumpsters had rotting trash, and a couple of men were standing by a corner. Just keep moving. I walked quickly and tried to not draw any attention.

 _She's a young thing_ , one of them thought.

 _Wonder what she's got under all of that,_ the other thought.

 _God damn it_ , I swore. _Just keeping walking, Lewis. You have pepper spray. If something happens, just yell._ I kept walking towards the other end of the alley. Just halfway there!

"Where you going, sweet cheeks?" One cat-called. I ignored and kept moving, readying the pepper spray.

"He said," One shoved me against a brick wall. "Where are you going?" Pain seared my face as it met the wall. My face stung as I felt a small gash well up. I quickly pulled the pepper spray out and turned around, aiming the pepper spray at the closest thug and fired. He howled in pain as the concoction burned his eyes.

"You bitch!" He roared. The other lunged at me and pinned me to the wall.

"You'll pay for that!" He sneered. His foul breath wafted over me and I gagged.

"Help!" I screamed as loud as I could. "Help! Somebody help!" I flinched as the man drew closer to my face.

"Shut up." He snarled. I whimpered and closed my eyes. There was a sudden gust of wind that filled the alley.

"I'd let her go if I were you." A familiar voice spoke. My eyes snapped open in bewilderment. The Flash stood behind the thugs and he was pissed.

"Or what?" The thug asked.

"Suit yourself." The Flash smirked. In a bolt of lightning he disappeared with the two thugs. I slid to the ground in a heap, leaning against the wall. As quickly as he disappeared, the Flash came back. Loose papers and trash scattered around me in the sudden wind.

"Are you alright?" The Flash extended a hand. I gratefully took it and stood up.

"I'm a little banged up, but I'll survive." I sighed. He gently took my cheek in one hand and examined it closely.

"You've got a shallow graze on your cheek." He observed. I wince a little at the stinging pain. "Sorry." He apologized.

"It's what I get for going down an alley." I shrugged it off. "I was walking home from the bookstore and tried to take a shortcut." The Flash looked around at our surroundings.

"Where do you live?" He asked.

"The apartment building a few blocks from S.T.A.R. Labs." I pointed in the direction.

"Do you trust me?" His gaze softened. A small hopeful smile reached his lips. I blinked in disbelief, getting a little lost.

"Y-yes." I stammered.

"Hold on tight." He instructed. He picked me up bridal style and I clung tightly to him. He smiled down at me and then we took off running. Everything was a blur of noise and color as we sped past the city. My heart hammered wildly in my chest as I held on for dear life. The wind whipped my hair around and I buried my face into the speedster's shoulder. Within a matter of second we reached the rooftop of my apartment building.

"Holy shit!" I gasped. The Flash chuckled in amusement and set me down. I took a step forward, but stumbled.

"Whoa, you okay?" He helped me stand up.

"Just a little dizzy." I reassured him.

You'll be fine in a few minutes." He replied. "It happens." I inhaled through my nose and out of my mouth, trying to calm myself down. "You're a magnet for danger."

"I realize that." I nodded.

"I'd relax a bit if you took up some self-defense classes." He crossed his arms, eyeing at me.

"I had pepper spray on me."

"What if they have a weapon? What would you do, then?" He asked. I was quiet for a bit.

"I see your point." My face fell.

"I know I'm not the only person around here that's concerned for your safety."

"You're right." I agreed. "God, Barry would throw a fit if that actually happened."

"Who?" The Flash asked, his eyes sparking with curiosity.

"A friend of mine that I like." I replied. "Not exactly dating yet." The Flash walked over to the ledge and looked out at the city.

"Seems like a nice guy." He mused.

"How—" I began to ask.

"I run all over the city." The Flash explained. "Some days I happen to see you with him. Plus, Iris talks about him."

"Oh," I said quietly. _Relax, Riley. She's with Eddie._ The Flash turned around to face me again.

"You should get inside. I don't need you in more danger."

"Knowing me and my luck, you're probably right." I agreed.

"Stay safe." He gave me a small smile.


	15. Chapter 15

The next day at work I could barely contain myself. I had my date with Barry tonight and I really wanted to talk to Iris. The small scratch on my cheek scabbed up overnight, but it wasn't serious.

"What happened to your cheek?" Iris asked at my desk.

"I was walking home from the bookstore last night and I tripped." I lied. I didn't want her to worry as well.

"God, Riley, you have the worst luck in the world." She sighed.

"I'm highly aware of that." I stuck my tongue out at her. She laughed in amusement.

"Do you have anything in mind you're wearing for tonight?"

"I've got this black dress I wear for art gallery exhibitions." I replied.

"Someday we need to go shopping. I'm predicting some double dates in the future."

"I'd like that." I smiled.

"So where are you guys going for dinner?"

"Some Italian restaurant I've always wanted to try. It's sort of close to CCU, but I never went there while I was school."

"I think I know which one you're talking about." She nodded. "Good luck tonight and have fun."

"Thanks, Iris." I flashed a smile. While I worked, I looked at places that offered some self-defense classes. There was a gym around here that did some boxing. Their prices seemed affordable. Apparently, it was part of a branch in Starling City, but it discontinued after some unknown reason. The next available time was Saturday afternoons at two. I wouldn't start this week, but I would next week. I let out a sigh. Was this really a good idea? No, but it was probably necessary since I'm a magnet for danger.

Nothing real exciting happened for the rest of the day at work. Larkin sent me to a grand opening of a restaurant down by the pier, but that was about as exciting as it got. Andrew was there as well. We worked together, occasionally talking about work and more of our personal lives. On the plus side, he didn't come off as an asshole that he was a few days ago.

After the work day was done I made a direct beeline for home. When I got home I immediately showered and bow dried my hair. I shimmied into the black dress and did my hair to make it wavy. Normally I didn't use makeup, but I made an exception for tonight. I used the same eyeshadow when Nat and I went out and applied some lip gloss.

Before I left I made sure Link was fed. With one last look in the mirror I took a deep breath and sighed. "Here goes nothing." I locked my door and headed down to my car. My phone buzzed with a text from Nat.

**Good luck you sexy thang! Make good choices ;)**

**Oh my God shut up. :P**

**Never. Let me know how it goes. :)**

**Will do. :)**

I got in my car and headed to the restaurant Barry and I were going to. I felt butterflies in my stomach and my hands were shaky. "Oh, please don't throw up." I moaned to myself. "It's just a date." I did a bunch of deep breathing as I made my way over. When I reached the restaurant, I saw Barry out by the front entrance. He was on time _and_ sharply dressed. _Holy shit_ , my jaw dropped.

I pulled into the parking lot and pulled into a spot. I grabbed my bag, shut the car off, and made my way to Barry. The cold air pierced my legs and made me pull my leather jacket closer to me. When I approached Barry at the front door his eyes widened and his mouth hung open a little. I stopped in my tracks and blushed sheepishly.

_Holy shit_ , his thoughts raced. _Holy shit she looks beautiful._

"You're staring." I chuckled.

"I…you…" He stammered. "You look amazing."

"Well, so do you." I smiled up at him as I approached closer. I stood on my toes a bit and kissed his cheek.

"Shall we go inside?" Barry asked, blushing a bit.

"We shall." I nodded. He stepped aside and opened the door for me. As we walked in, the aroma of food made my stomach rumble. There was the soft murmur of people talking to each other and soft music playing in the background. Then there was the unspoken conversation of the thoughts of the people. A host was at the front are writing things down. He looked up as we approached him.

"Just the two of you?" He flashed a curious look in my direction. _She looks gorgeous!_

"Yes." Barry replied. The host looked down at a chart and grabbed two menus. "Right this way." Barry stood aside and let me go first, following closely behind. The host led us around the corner to a booth for two. He placed the menus on the table and stood back.

"Your waiter will be with you shortly." The host then left us. I slid on to my side and slipped my jacket off. Barry sat across from me and let out a breath.

"Did Joe get irritated at you again with the constant changing of clothes?" I gave him a small smile.

"Actually, no." Barry smiled. "I was able to pick something out and stick with it."

"I'm impressed." I chuckled.

"I think he's pretty grateful for that." He chuckled as well. We were quiet for a bit as we flipped through the menus. "Do you want any wine?"

"Only if you want." I replied.

"You can pick whatever you'd like." He didn't seem to mind.

"You sure?" I raised my brows. "Even if it's girly?"

"Even if it's girly."

"In that case I will go with red." I studied the choice of red they had. As I studied the menu, my mind wandered a bit and I could hear several mental conversations.

_God, I hope Claire says yes. Gotta make sure everything goes according to plan. Got to put the ring in the bottom of her glass. She'll drink it and then see the ring at the bottom. Then I'll get down on one knee and ask her._ Someone was going to propose.

_I pray to fucking God that Rick doesn't find out about this. He'll kill me. He'll kill James if he finds out…_ Some woman was being unfaithful. I let out a mental sigh. Some people just can't be satisfied with who they're with.

Once I settled on one, I flipped to the dinner selection. Each dinner came with a side of soup or salad. Given with the ridiculous amounts of gnocchi soup I've been eating over the past few days, I went with a salad.

"Good evening, my name is Lucy and I'll be your waiter tonight." A blond woman approached us. "What can I get you started with?"

"We'll do a bottle of Merlot and I'll have the stuffed ravioli dinner." I put my order in.

"I'll have the chicken parmesan." Barry ordered his.

"Would you both like the soup or salad?" Lucy asked.

"Salad." We replied. I raised a brow.

"And dressing?"

"Ranch." Barry replied.

"Raspberry vinaigrette." I answered.

"And anything else to drink besides the wine?" Lucy asked.

"Just water." We replied. Lucy finished scribbling the order down.

"Great, I'll get that in." She replied, taking our menus and then walked away, leaving us alone.

"You're staring again, Barry." I flushed.

"I can't help it." He shrugged sheepishly. "You look beautiful. Always do." I chuckled and shook my head.

"Okay, now you're just sucking up." I mused. Barry's mouth dropped open a little, but he chuckled as well.

"I am not." He mused. "I seriously do think you're beautiful." A waiter came by and set a basket of breadsticks before us. I immediately grabbed one and took a bite. Barry gave me one of his smiles.

"What?" I froze. "I like breadsticks." I chewed on mine. Barry rested his chin on a hand.

"You're not like most women." His eyes sparked.

"I'm not most women." I replied slyly. "Surely you'd know that by now."

"Oh, I'm aware of that. It's just fun to say that and watch you get all flustered about it." He took a breadstick as well and bit into it. Lucy came by with two wine glasses, the bottle of wine, water, and the salads. Barry took one of the glasses and poured wine into it before placing it in front of me. Then he did the same with his and took a sip. "You picked a good one."

"I do like my wine." I smiled and took my glass. I swirled it a bit and took a sip. The rich taste of the red wine filled my mouth and warmed me as I swallowed it. "My grandpa on my dad's side of the family used to make his own as a hobby."

"I bet you abused that advantage." Barry smirked.

"Maybe, maybe not." I took another sip. "Probably didn't help that I knew how to take a shot before my twenty-first birthday."

"Your mom wasn't too happy?" He asked.

"You should have seen the look on her face." I snorted.

"I never took you for the rebellious type." He laughed.

"Only on certain things." I shrugged. Barry smiled and dug into his salad. I grabbed my dressing and drizzled it on before proceeding to eat it. We ate in silence for a bit, but broke it by talking about work and how our week was going so far. Barry said they haven't found the meta-human who started the Bowman fire yet, but they're doing their best.

"It's like the guy literally disappeared from the streets." Barry was frustrated.

"People have been disappearing lately." I stated as I took a sip of my wine. "Maybe whoever is nabbing people off the streets got him, too."

"Maybe," Barry sighed with frustration. Lucy stopped by with our food we ordered and we dug in. My dinner ended up being a lot better than I thought it would. "Is your food any good?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Really good, actually. A lot better than I thought it would be. What about yours?"

"Not too bad." He replied. We ate for a little while more until I felt the urge to go to the bathroom.

"'scuse me, I gotta head to the bathroom." I stood up. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time." Barry smiled. I gave him a small smile and headed towards the bathroom. I slipped past the waiters and oncoming customers. The thoughts of everyone in the restaurant was starting to make my head hurt.

_Mmm, I'd like to take her home and fuck her._ A mental image of a woman being undressed and a man having sex with her appeared in my mind. God, I really didn't want to see that. I kept hearing thoughts about money and sex. It was endless and it was annoying as hell. I hate this ability. I made my way into the bathroom and headed into one of the stalls. I did my business, flushed the toilet, and washed my hands. I took a moment to look at myself in the mirror. I was a little pale and had dark circles under my eyes from sleepless nights. Taking Tylenol or ibuprofen wouldn't help with the headache. I let out a sigh and made my way back to Barry.

When I was in vicinity, Barry looked at his tie that was haphazardly thrown over his shoulder. He pulled it down and straightened it out.

"You look fine." I reassured with a smile as I slid back into the booth. Barry looked up and smiled back.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I nodded. "Just a slight headache, but I'll be fine."

"Do you need any aspirin?"

"Nah, I'm fine." I waved it away. "Some sleep should fix it."

"Not sleeping well?" He asked.

"Not really." I let out a small sigh. "Been worried about Thalia and still having some nightmares about the hostage situation."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know what there really is to talk about with those. Thalia's guy got arrested and so did the robbers."

"But you're still having some sort of psychosomatic issues from the hostage." Barry put in.

"Yeah…" I replied slowly.

"Well, what is it about the nightmares?"

"Umm," I began. "He's got the knife to my throat. He's in my face and he's laughing." I shuddered at the memory. "I feel weak and helpless."

"Maybe that's the connection." Barry shrugged. "You're still having nightmare s because you feel like you don't have a way to protect yourself. I've had the same nightmare about my mom for years."

"Did they stop?" I asked.

"Not until a few months ago. There might be a way to find her killer, though." Barry took a bite of his food and chewed thoughtfully. "I bet if you find a way to overcome your block, your nightmares will stop."

"I signed up for self-defense classes that start up next week." I meekly replied.

"There's a good start." Barry smiled. "What made you decide to do that?"

"I'm a magnet for trouble." I answered. "And I may or may not have had someone push me into it." I felt myself shrink a little. Barry raised a brow. "I was at a bookstore on Tuesday and I made the mistake of taking a shortcut in an alley to get home." Barry put his hands over his face.

"God, Riley, why?" He let out a groan. "Dark and scary alleys usually aren't something you walk down at night. Everyone knows that."

"It was a mistake. I got the gash on my cheek as a result from it." Barry took a breath and pulled his hands away from his face, but they clenched a little. "Before anything bad could happen the Flash was there to stop it and he took me home." Barry's hand relaxed a little.

"Jesus, Riley." He sighed. "You really are a magnet for trouble." I slumped back against the booth.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I know." Barry was quiet for a bit.

"It's a good thing we have him around." He replied. "Otherwise maybe Eddie or Joe would have to keep a close eye on you."

"Great." I groaned and closed my eyes. Barry chuckled in amusement.

"I'm just glad you're safe." He replied. My eyes opened again and I sat up.

"Same here." I replied. We continued eating our dinner and finished it.

"Do you want any desert?" Barry asked.

"Nah, I'm fine." I shook my head. Lucy came by and took our empty plates.

"Any room for desert?" Lucy asked.

"We're fine." Barry replied. "Just the check will be fine."

"Can do." Lucy nodded. She disappeared for a bit and came back with the bill. Barry pulled out his card and handed it back.

"I'll be back momentarily." She disappeared again.

"So, what do you want to do afterwards?" Barry asked.

"Um, I'm not sure." I shrugged. "We could go on a walk somewhere or we could go back to my place for a bit."

"A walk doesn't sound too bad. We could use the leg stretch."

"Not a bad idea." I agreed. Lucy came back with Barry's card.

"Enjoy your evening." She gave him a smile and walked away. Barry pulled his card out of the billfold along with the receipts and the pen. He scribbled a tip and his signature on both copies, then stuck the copy and card in his wallet. Before he put it away, I briefly got a glimpse of a number on the receipt.

"Did she stick her number on the receipt?" I raised a brow and chuckled.

"She did, but I have zero interest." Barry replied as we stood up. "I have my eyes on someone else." A sly smile reached his face. I blushed and slipped my jacket on. He slipped his hand into mine and squeezed it, leading the way out of the restaurant.

"Thank you for dinner." I said as we were outside, leading towards my car.

"My pleasure." He smiled down at me. The wind nipped at us a bit and I leaned against Barry a little. We reached the car and I unlocked it. Barry opened the driver side for me and I climbed in. He climbed in on the passenger side and I started the car. I pulled us out of the parking lot and headed towards the park. The ride was quiet, but comfortable. Barry even held my hand the entire way. I could feel his gaze on me and I briefly looked over at him.

"What?" I asked with a smile.

"Nothing." He answered. "You just look beautiful and this is really nice."

"I agree." I smiled back. "About it being really nice." I felt myself relax. "It's been a good while since I actually had a nice night out with someone."

"Same here." Barry agreed. "I haven't had a nice night in months." I let out a relaxed sigh, being at ease with the current situation as we drove on. Eventually we reached the park and I pulled us into a spot. The park was a decent size with a large pond in the middle. There was a pathway that circled the park, but also had a bridge going over the pond.

"Shall we?" I smiled at him.

"We shall." Barry agreed, climbing out of the car. I shut the engine off and climbed out, locking the doors behind me. Being the gentleman that he was, Barry offered an arm and I looped mine around his. We set off on our leisurely stroll down the path. "You ready for your gig on Saturday?"

"For the most part, yeah." I nodded.

"What songs are you playing?"

"Some stuff we did last time and what we weren't able to get to. Then we have a couple of new covers we're doing."

"ooh, sounds exciting!" He enthused. "I'm actually really excited about it. Cisco and Caitlin are also excited to come and meet you." We made our way down a lengthy stretch of path.

"Really?" I raised my brows.

"Yeah, I never shut up about you when I hang out with them." I blushed and looked over at the pond. "What?"

"I'm not used to being a good subject to talk about." I shrugged. "Usually it's my parents being all 'why haven't you given us grandkids yet' or my mom bitching about my life. Don't even get me started on Grant." I laughed humorlessly.

"Hey," Barry stopped us and gently pulled me towards him. "I think you're amazing."

"No, I'm not all that amazing." I shook my head.

"There you go again. You don't give yourself enough credit." Barry looked down at me with a glint in his eyes.

"I just can't see myself as amazing." I dropped his hands and made my way towards the bridge. "I'm just plain and simple."

"You've got some complexity to you." Barry easily caught up to me. I gave him a quizzing look, spinning around a little. "You act all quiet, but when you're in your element you completely change into a different person."

"Doesn't everyone?" I shrugged. "I've seen you out in public and you at work. You act the same."

_But I'm much more complicated than that. Really complicated,_ Barry sighed inwardly. _Maybe one day you'll know._ What did he mean by that?

"There's more to you than what meets the eye." Barry took my hand and twirled me. I stumbled and nearly fell, but he caught me easily.

"One thing I can confirm on that is being graceful isn't part of that." I chuckled.

"I don't mind." He shrugged it off. "I'm not graceful either."

"What? No, you're kidding me."

"Definitely not kidding you." Barry shook his head. "I have two left feet. Just ask Captain Singh or anyone in the police. Though, they'll probably say something besides having two left feet." He paused for a moment. "Never mind." He blushed. _Late for work, awkward, crazy…_

"I don't mind." I squeezed his hand. "It's what makes you who you are." He squeezed back.

"Thank you." He smiled sheepishly. "Let's go to the bridge."

"Fine by me." I agreed. We made our way up the wooden bridge and stopped in the middle. Barry leaned against the railing and stared at the water. I approached his side, wrapping an arm around his and rested my head against his shoulder. We didn't speak. We just stood there in silence, staring at the water.

_Just ask her,_ Barry thought to himself. _You've faced far more dangerous things. Asking her a question should be easy._ I felt him take a deep breath and he sighed. _Nope, too scary._

"What's on your mind?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Hmm?" He looked down.

"You seem troubled." Only because I can hear yours and everyone else's thoughts.

"Oh, umm," He sucked in a breath again. "Just wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away." I replied. "I'm all ears."

"Okay." Barry let out the breath he was holding in. "I really like you, Riley."

"I really like you, too." I straightened up to face him.

"A lot, actually. There's something different about you from other women I've dated. Iris really like you, Joe really likes you, even Eddie likes you. You're one of the most down to earth people I have ever met, but also amazingly talented." I tried hard to fight the smile. "You're the least competitive person and you don't feel the need to force anything. Linda felt like everything was a competition and she had to one-up everything. Everything just flows naturally with you. I don't have to die the weird, geeky side of me because you're just as a nerd as I am." I chuckled and looked away. "So, my question is this." Barry took my right hand and slipped off the Claddagh ring, turning it so the heart was pointing towards me, and slipped it back on. I looked up at him and couldn't help but smile.

"That is an excellent question, Mr. Allen, and I do believe I have an answer to it." I replied. I could feel my heart beginning to hammer in my chest.

"Yeah?" His eyebrows rose. I reached up and softly pressed my lips against his. I felt his surprise, but it quickly went away. I felt his hands cup my face gently as he held it. After a few long seconds, he broke away smiling down at me. "Not a bad answer." He bit his lower lip in a thoughtful manner that sent my heart racing.

"I agree." I kissed him softly again. Barry deepened the kiss a little and smiled into it. We broke the kiss, but he stayed close. "What do you want to do now?"

"We can head back to the car." He wrapped an arm around me. "I unfortunately have to get up in the morning for work."

"Same here." I agreed. "Lots of cleaning up photos to do. Plus, I get to work on putting a layout together. Well, watch Andrew and learn from him."

"How has work been with him, by the way?" Barry asked as we retraced our way back to the car.

"It's been okay, I guess." I shrugged. "He hasn't accused me of any bullshit so I guess we're fine. Iris is fun to work with, though."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah, we have this duo thing going on." I grinned.

"She'll be pleased to hear you like working with her." Barry chuckled in amusement.

"She's great." I sighed with content. "Not sure about Linda yet."

"How come?"

"Only time I've interacted with her was on my first day. She didn't seem particularly thrilled when I was there with Iris, but like I said, that was the only time I interacted with her." I explained.

"Good point." He agreed. We eventually reached the car and I unlocked it. Barry held the door open for me and I climbed in, starting the car. Once he was in and buckled, I drove us toward Joe's. We chatted some more on the way about random shit. It helped since I tried my best to stay out of his thoughts. I was a little sad when we reached Joe's, but I understood. He needed the sleep and so did I. We're not quite ready for the whole 'Sleeping with Each Other' bit, but I bet it could happen down the road. I shut the car off and walked Barry up to the porch.

"I had a really nice time tonight." I gave him a small smile.

"Good," His eyes sparked. "I did, too." He interlaced a hand with mine. "Very much." I chuckled.

"Will I see you at some point before Saturday?" I asked.

"I can guarantee that." Barry replied. He bent down a little and pressed his lips against mine. My heart sputtered again. My breath got caught in my chest as I kissed him back. God, kissing him was exhilarating! It felt like electricity was buzzing through me. We broke off the kiss and I had to catch my breath a little.

"Sorry." I breathed.

"For what?"

"I have to catch my breath. It's been a while since I've really kissed someone. I'm a little rusty." I laughed.

"Nah, you seem to be quite on par with that." He mused, giving my hand a squeeze. I laughed again. "G'night, Riley."

"G'night, Barry." He gave me a quick kiss again. I turned and headed to my car, but as I looked back he was still on the porch.

"Get in your car already so I don't have to worry about you." He laughed.

"I'm going!" I skipped a little. I climbed in and turned the car on. With a wave, I pulled out and Barry headed inside.


	16. Chapter 16

When I reached work on Friday I felt dead. I was very ready for the weekend. When I reached my desk, Iris was there.  
“You need a pick-me-up.” She handed me a coffee.  
“Oh, my God, you’re a saint.” I gratefully took the beverage. “Thank you so much.”  
“Anything for the person that’s making my best friend happy.” She grinned.  
“How…never mind.” I shook my head with a smile. I let out a sigh and took a sip of my coffee.  
“Your ex’s name appeared in the news recently.” Iris spoke. My eyebrows knitted together.  
“What?” I blinked in disbelief.  
“Yeah, let me know you.” Iris sat in my chair. “Do you mind me using your computer?”  
“Go ahead.” I took another sip as Iris pulled up the news station website.  
“There it is.” Iris clicked on the story. “Local man hospitalized for sticking a cactus up his rectum.” I nearly spat my coffee out and started coughing. A few people around us looked at me in suspicion. “You okay?” Once I got over my coughing fit I nodded.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I took a deep breath. “That just caught me by surprise. I’m sorry, but what the hell?”  
“Seriously.” Iris nodded. “It sounds super messed up, but it’s real.”  
“No shit.” I breathed, staring at the screen. “Can I see?” Iris scooted over and I leaned in a bit to read the very short article.  
Local man Grant Williams, 25, was hospitalized Tuesday night after sticking a cactus plant up his rectum.  
“I don’t know why I did it. Something just told me I had to do it.” Williams stated. Williams has a few puncture wounds, but he will make a full recovery.  
“The fuck?” I murmured.  
“Messed up, right?” Iris agreed. “Sounds like one of those stories on the weird shit people do. Or at least a stupid internet challenge.”  
“Yeah…” I trailed off. Just days ago, he and I were talking. Then I got mad at him and then we left. Then while he was leaving I mentally yelled at him to go fuck a cactus. Was…was that me? Did I do that? What’s going on with me?  
“Iris and Riley?” A sharp male voice brought me out of my thoughts. It was Mr. Larkin. “Can I speak to both of you in my office?” Iris looked at me and I shrugged. We got up and followed Larkin into his office.  
“Hey, Mr. Larkin.” Iris greeted.  
“Good morning, you two.” He greeted back. “How are you doing?”  
“Fine, thanks for asking.” I replied. “How about you?”  
“Swell.” Larkin answered.  
“What did you want to talk to us about, Mr. Larkin?” Iris asked.  
“Just wondering if the two of you have been able to get anything new on the Flash.” Larkin leaned back in his chair. I felt my stomach drop.  
“Umm, no. Not since the Bowman fire.” Iris shook her head. “It’s hard to track him down.”  
“And get a picture of him because he moves so fast.” I added. Larkin looked at me with an odd expression. Did I just say that out loud? Did I just say about the dumbest ass excuse on the planet?  
“Well, yes. I can see how that could make things a little difficult.” Larkin pursed his lips. “Iris, you have that blog of yours that I’m such a huge fan of. Surely, he reads it. Maybe you can get a hold of him and try to get an interview. And, Riley, if you’re there with her maybe you get can get a few photos of him.” A mental image of doing a photo session of the Flash appeared in my mind. “Ladies, you both are doing a wonderful job here. Absolutely wonderful, but the people want more on the Flash. That’s one of the things that helps sell our papers. The city just wants to know more about the scarlet speedster. Can the two of you do that?” I opened my mouth and then closed it with an inaudible sigh.  
“We can do it.” Iris replied. I looked over at her. We can?  
“Yes,” I agreed. “We can.”  
“Good.” Larkin smiled. “Now get to it. Keep up the excellent work, ladies.” We nodded and exited the office. We headed back to Iris’s desk and she flopped in her seat.  
“Great. Just great.” She sighed in frustration.  
“What the hell are we going to do?” I began to panic. “I’ve been here for a week and I’m already starting to screw things up.”  
“Calm down, Riley.” Iris tried to soothe my nerves. “We’ll figure something out.”  
“How?” I asked. “We don’t exactly have the Flash on speed dial.” I leaned back against the desk, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples. “I should have never showed him that photo.” A headache was coming and several voices were starting to overlap.  
What’s up with those two?  
Larkin only hired West because of her blog.  
I need coffee.  
God, damn it Mason took the last bear claw!  
I need to get out of this shit hole.  
“Riley?” Iris’s voice made me jump. “She stared at me with wary eyes. “You okay?”  
“Yeah,” I shook it off. “Just a stress headache.”  
“We’ll figure something out, okay? Larkin hired you because you’re good.” I reluctantly nodded. “Take a deep breath.” I took a deep breath through my nose and out of my mouth a few times. I tried to focus on Iris’s voice to tune out everyone else’s thoughts. “Better?”  
“Yeah.” I nodded.  
“It’s okay.” She assured. “I’ve had a few freak moments when I first started working here. It’ll get easier.”  
“I just don’t want to cheat my way through here.” I chewed on my lower lip. “Andrew accused me of that with the photo.”  
“Remember, don’t let him criticize you. He’s just butt hurt you got a kick ass photo.” Iris gave an encouraging smile that reached her dark brown eyes. “How about you come to lunch with me and Eddie today? You look like you could use it.”  
“I don’t want to intrude if you already have plans.” I shook my head.  
“Oh please.” Iris waved it away. “I live with the man. He could sub it for a date night.”  
“You sure?” I winced. I hate being a burden.  
“I’ll text him and let you know.” She gave me a squeeze on the shoulder. “Now, go try to get some work done until lunch, okay? It’ll help keep your mind off things.”  
“Okay.” I sighed.  
“You can do it, Riley.” She gave me a thumbs up.  
“That’s the plan.” I gave her a lazy two-fingered salute as I headed back to my desk.  
Poor girlie. She’s under so much pressure. Hopefully lunch with us will cheer her up.  
I trudged back to my desk and sat down, resting my forehead on it.  
“I am a real photographer.” I mumbled the mantra to myself several times.  
“Hey,” A soft feminine voice spoke. “You’re Riley, right?” I lifted my head and found Linda Park before me.  
“Yeah,” I replied slowly.  
“You’re close with Barry, right?” She asked. That’s one way to put it. I nodded hesitantly. “Take my advice. Don’t get so attached to him and hope for a relationship. He can’t balance his work and social life equally. Plus, he still has a heart out for Iris.” I narrowed my eyes.  
“Thanks?” I was unsure.  
“Believe me or not.” Linda suddenly got snippy. “The same thing happened to me. I just don’t want another innocent girl get hurt by him.”  
“Thanks for the advice, but I think I’ll be fine.” I sniffed. I’ve been through much worse. “I’m good at reading people.”  
“Fine.” She shrugged. “Don’t come crying to me if he breaks your heart.” Linda turned and walked away. What the hell is her problem?

 

Lunch rolled around a few hours later. Iris said Eddie was fine with me tagging along, but Barry was unfortunately tied up in the lab at work. Eddie came into CCPN around noon to come get us.  
“You ready?” Iris asked.  
“Yeah, I’m ready.” I slipped my jacket on and headed over to her. Eddie was patiently waiting, hands clasped behind his back. “Hi, Eddie.” I smiled.  
“Hi, Riley.” He greeted back. His eyes were very bright and his blond hair was neatly styled. “How are you?”  
“Pretty good.” I replied. “How about you?”  
“Not too bad.” He agreed. “You two ready?”  
“Yes.” Iris and I simultaneously agreed. We made our way out the door and I flowed the couple to Eddie’s car. We all climbed in with Eddie driving, Iris in the passenger seat, and me in the back. Eddie started the car and we made our way over to Big Belly.  
“How do you like working at CCPN, Riley?” Eddie asked.  
“It’s not too bad.” I replied. “There’s a lot to learn, but it’s good. Some of the people are, uh, a little tense.”  
“That’s one way to put it.” Iris snorted.  
“How so?” Eddie raised a blond brow.  
“This morning Larkin talked to both of us saying he wants more pictures and stories on the Flash.” Iris sighed.  
“We basically got chewed out.” I clarified.  
“Ouch.” Eddie winced.  
“And Mason is an ass as ever.” Iris put in.  
“And I’m pretty sure Linda Park hates my guts.” I added.  
“Delightful.” Iris said with bitterness. “Is that why she was at your desk earlier?”  
“Sort of.” I frowned. “She basically said how Barry can’t balance work and his social life.” I left the other part out. I don’t want to upset Eddie to the point where he would punch Barry.  
“Wow, what a bitch.” Iris commented. “Anyone else stirring up shit?”  
“No, not really.” I looked out the window.  
“Good.” Iris replied. It was quiet for a bit. Eddie and Iris started talking to each other, but I tuned out of their conversation. I let out a small sigh, letting my thoughts wander aimlessly. Fifteen minutes later we pulled into the Big Belly Burger parking lot. My stomach rumbled as we walked inside. It was a bit crowded for the lunch rush, but we could place our order and find a spot to sit down. “This place is so unhealthy, but it’s so good.”  
“A love-hate relationship.” I mused. A waiter eventually came by with our food and placed them before us. I dug into my bacon cheeseburger and sighed in sweet relief. “So, how’s work going, Eddie?”  
“Not too bad. Still trying to find the Victor Evans guy, though.”  
“Yeah, Barry mentioned that a bit on Wednesday when we went out for dinner.” I replied.  
“Captain Singh is getting quite fed up with it.” Eddie rubbed his eyes. “Barry did tell me about your theory.”  
“What theory?” Iris raised her brows in curiosity.  
“You know how people have been disappearing from the streets?” I asked.  
“Yeah, go on.” She nodded.  
“We think whoever is taking people might have grabbed Evans, too.” I continued. “They guy hasn’t been seen since the fire.”  
“Yeah, that could be a possible idea.” Iris slowly nodded. “Surely someone could have seen him since then.”  
“Not unless someone nabbed him.” I shrugged.  
“Maybe.” Eddie replied. “When I was still in Keystone we had a case where an arsonist was hidden for weeks until we were able to finally get him.”  
“Hmm.” I furrowed in thought.  
“Your theory is still possible, Riley.” Eddie added. “We won’t cut anything out until we know for sure.”  
“Guess we’ll have to keep digging on our side project.” Iris shrugged. Eddie froze in mid bite of a fry.  
“You two are working together on this story?” His eyes widened.  
“Yeah, babe, I told you this after the article on the fire came out.” Iris replied.  
“yeah, well…” He began. I didn’t think you were going to try to find out what happened to the missing people. “Just…just be careful with what you’re getting yourselves into. I don’t want you disappearing, too.”  
“I’m a cop’s daughter.” Iris reassured. “He trained me how to defend myself.” Eddie looked over at me.  
“Don’t look at me.” I held my hands up in defense. “I’m just a photographer.”  
“Photographers catch criminating evidence.” Iris pointed out.  
“Shit.” I frowned. “Well, I’m going to take self-defense classes soon if that makes you feel better.”  
“What made you decide to do that?” Eddie asked curiously.  
“The hostage situation at Jitters.” I replied while eating a fry. “I don’t want to be helpless and unable to defend myself.”  
“Understandable.” Eddie nodded.  
“Good for you.” Iris agreed. “What are you starting with?”  
“Basic boxing.” I waved it off.  
“Ooh, I could have a sparring partner!” Iris got excited.  
“We might have to wait a while on that.” I widened my eyes a little.  
“Still,” She put in. “It could be fun.” We finished up our lunch and unfortunately had to head back to CCPN. I trudged along through the rest of the day, mostly staring at my computer and straining my eyes. At some point, I covered my face with my hands and let out a sigh.  
“Long day?” An all-too familiar voice spoke from behind. I sat up and turned around to find Barry.  
“Hi.” I greeted with a tired smile. He smiled back and leaned down, kissing the side of my head. I briefly turned my attention to the screen to save some files.  
“Hi.” He rested his chin on my shoulder. “What are you working on?”  
“Just some photos I have on my camera.” I replied.  
“You take a lot of pictures.” He mused.  
“It’s my job.” I chuckled once. “What are you doing here?”  
“I can’t visit my girlfriend at work?” He flashed a smile. “I said I was going to stop by, but I wasn’t able to this afternoon. So, I thought now would be an appropriate time.”  
“Yeah, I’m almost done and we can go.”  
“Take your time.” He ruffled my hair and pulled up a chair.  
What’s Barry doing next to her? Anna from the advice column spat venomously. I looked up briefly to find her staring in our direction with a heated expression.  
“Don’t look now, but I think Anna from the advice column is plotting ways to kill me because you’re next to me.” I shrank a little in my seat.  
“What?” H asked incredulously, briefly peeking over and quickly ducked back down. “Oh, my God, she looks like she’s going to kill you.”  
Fucking bitch, her voice echoed in my mind. Barry looked up again and suddenly he shrank in his seat.  
“Oh, shit.” He sank low.  
“What?” I looked down at him.  
“It’s Linda.” He whispered, ducking his head as she passed by.  
“Hi, Barry.” She flatly greeted as she walked by. Barry turned red with embarrassment and kept his head down.  
“She’s gone.” I replied as she left, finishing up touching a photo of a cathedral. Barry let out a breath. “Have you actually talked to her since you guys broke up?”  
“Umm…no…?” He winced. “We seemed to be on good terms when we broke up, though.”  
“That’s good, but you can’t run from everything, Barry.” I pointed out. “Sometimes you have to face them.”  
I know that mantra all too well, he sighed mentally. She means well, though. I smiled inwardly. I saved my progressed and exited out of everything.  
“All done.” I logged off, putting my things away. I slipped my jacket on and slung my camera bag over my shoulder. “Ready?”  
“Yep.” He smiled and stood up. As we walked out of CCPN, Linda shot me a look.  
Be careful, Lewis. He’ll hurt you, too.  
“Good night, Mr. Larkin.” I called.  
“Good night, Riley.” He called from his office. “Enjoy your weekend.” Barry slipped a hand into mine and we headed out. When we reached my car, he leaned against it with a lingering sadness. I didn’t want him to leave yet even if I would see him tomorrow.  
“You look like someone kicked a dog.” He brought me out of my thoughts. “What’s up?”  
“I don’t want you to leave yet.” I bit my lower lip in thought. “Do you want to come over for dinner?”  
“Dinner? Like right now?”  
“Yes, right now.” I nodded. “I went grocery shopping last week so I’m fine on food. Plus, I have a roast in the crockpot I had on all day.” Barry dipped his head and chuckled.  
“You’re making this hard.” He sighed with a smile.  
“It’ll give us time to be together until the craziness of tomorrow.” I looked up at him. “Please?” He looked down at me. I gave him the best pleading look I could muster.  
“You’re not going to stop.”  
“Nope.” I replied.  
“All right.” He blew out some air. “Why not?”  
“Yes!” I stood on my toes and gave a brief soft kiss. Barry stumbled a tiny bit after the kiss broke.  
“Oh…well…okay.” He murmured in daze.  
“Well get in.” I unlocked the car and put my things in the back seat.  
“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled, climbing in. I climbed in and started the car. Barry slipped his hand into mine as I drove us to my apartment. “How was your day?”  
It wasn’t too bad apart from getting chewed at by Larkin.” I replied.  
“What? Why?” He was bewildered.  
“He wants more pictures of the Flash.” I explained. “And he wants Iris to write more stories of him.”  
“What? But you guys are kicking ass.”  
“I haven’t gotten any pictures of him since the Bowman fire. That was weeks ago.”  
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”  
“I hope.” I sighed. “How about you? How was your day?”  
“It wasn’t horrible.” He replied. “I got swamped at work and the captain yelled at me so that was fun.”  
“Both of us seemed to have a rough day.” I puffed my cheeks out.  
“Yeah, but the work day is over and we get to relax.”  
“Which I am very much looking forward to.” I squeezed his hand gently. He squeezed back and smiled. A short while later we reached the apartment building. Before I could get out, Barry had gotten out of the car and had my camera bag swung over his shoulder. He then held the door open for me to get out. “Look at you being all adorable and helpful.”  
“It’s no trouble.” He shrugged. We headed inside and up to the apartment. “How’s Thalia doing?”  
“She’s doing better. She’s still struggling, but she’s hanging in there.”  
“Roger Clark’s hearing is in a couple of weeks. I’m sure she would want you to be there.”  
“She hasn’t said anything about it yet.” I replied as I pressed the button to my floor.  
“Just give her some time. She’ll present herself when she’s ready to. Do what you can by being there for her.”  
“Yeah.” My thoughts trailed off and I rested my head against his shoulder. I felt him wrap an arm around me.  
“So, has Link been jealous?”  
“A little bit.” I chuckled. “Since he likes you, I don’t think it’ll last long.”  
“Good, I like having a little buddy.” Barry grinned and the doors slid open. We headed down the hall and I unlocked the door, flipping the light on.  
“You can drop that off in my room.” I pulled my jacket off and hung it up. The scent of the roast filled my nose and my stomach rumbled.  
“Sweet Jesus, that smells amazing.” Barry came out of my room with Link following behind.  
“Do you want anything with it? Potatoes? Green beans?” I asked as I headed towards the kitchen.  
“That sound fine with it.” He followed. “Do you need help with anything?”  
“Do you want to feed your little buddy?” I grinned.  
“Absolutely.” He agreed.  
“His dish is on the floor, food’s in the cupboard, and you know where the silverware is at.” I pointed. I pulled a wooden spoon and stirred the roast around, then put it on the lowest setting. I fished around the cupboard for instant potatoes and a can of green beans. I opened the green beans and stuck them in a microwaveable container. Link rubbed up against Barry at the sight of the food and meowed softly. Barry dumped the wet cat food out on the dish and put it on the floor. He stroked Link while he ate.  
“Hi, buddy.” He scratched him behind the ears. I smiled down at the sight. Link’s tail wrapped around Barry’s arm as he scratched him on his side. He stood up and stretched. “Do you need anything else?”  
“I should be good for now.” I answered. I measured some water out and began to make the mashed potatoes. “Go make yourself comfortable. I have Netflix on the X-Box.” Barry slid next to me, crossing his arms and smiled. “What?” I could feel his gaze on me.  
“Nothing, just making myself comfortable.” He mused.  
“By standing here?” I raised my brows.  
“Exactly.” He smiled with amusement.  
“You’re impossible.” I moved away from the stove for the water to boil. Barry gently pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. I gazed up at him and smiled.  
“What?” He gave his famous smile.  
“Just admiring.” I simply replied. “And making myself comfortable.”  
“By standing here.” He smiled again and I nodded. He reached down and softly pressed his lips against mine. His mouth moved expertly over mine as we leaned into the kiss. I felt a tingle spread through my body as we continued. The tingle became more intense as the kiss became longer. I pulled back a little, catching my breath.  
“Whoa…” I breathed.  
“You okay?” Barry asked with some slight concern in his face.  
“Yeah.” I nodded. “That felt…amazing.”  
“Very much.” Barry agreed, resting his forehead against mine. We were quiet for a bit to enjoy the silence and gesture. “You okay?” He softly asked again.  
“I’m fine.” I assured with a smile. Barry kissed my forehead and turned his attention to the mashed potatoes. “You don’t have to do that.”  
“No, I got it.” He shook his head. I made a face and gave up. There was no point in arguing with him.  
“Fine, I’ll get the beans.” I grumbled. Barry shot a smile of innocence at me. “Oh, shut up.” I stuck a tongue out.  
“Nope.” He mused as he measured out the potato flakes  
“How do Joe and Iris put up with you?” I asked while I stuck the beans in the microwave.  
“I honestly have no clue.” He poured the flakes in and grabbed a wooden spoon. While I waited, I plopped down at the tabled and observed Barry. His slim figure was slightly bent over at the stove and the sleeves of his green sweater were pushed up to his elbows. His hands moved swiftly as he stirred the potatoes and sprinkled salt and pepper in. I still couldn’t process how someone as slim as him was so sturdy and solid. The beeping of the microwave brought me out of my thoughts and I got up. I pulled the dish out and drained it, then sprinkled salt and pepper in it. I peeked over Barry’s shoulder to find the potatoes almost done. A bowl was set aside for him to put the potatoes in. Then I grabbed a few bowls for the roast and juice to use as gravy. Plates were brought out and placed on the table along with silverware and cups.  
“What do you want to drink?” I asked.  
“Water’s fine.” Barry replied as he scooped the potatoes into the bowl. I filled both glasses with water and placed the other dishes on the table. Barry brought the bowl over and sat in the chair adjacent to me. “Ladies first.” He offered.  
“No, guest should go first.” I suggested.  
“Just grab something, you goof.” He made a face. I shot him a look, but he chuckled in amusement. “We would be here all night debating who goes first.”  
“Fair point.” I mutually agreed with a shrug. I dished my food on to my plate and took a bite of the roast. “Sweet Jesus…”  
“Absolutely delicious.” Barry agreed. “I haven’t had a roast this good in a while.” The roast beef pulled apart easily with my fork and the juice made a perfect gravy for the potatoes.  
“Normally I suck at cooking.” I mused. “Roast beef is one of those few dishes I can kick ass at.” Link came over to us and sat on his haunches, looking up at me. He wanted my food. “You’re not getting any, butt head.” I looked down at him. He meowed softly and pawed at my leg. “Nope.” He tried a few more times and gave up, moving on to Barry.  
“Sorry, bud.” Barry resisted Link’s charms. “Gotta go with the lady says.” Link seemed to frown at us and turned away to the living room.  
“Drama king.” I snorted. “That cat acts like I don’t feed him.”  
“He is quite the player on the emotions.” Barry chuckled.  
“Oh yeah.” I nodded. “That’s how I got stuck with him. All it took was one look and I walked out the door with him.” Barry laughed.  
“He’s worse than Iris when she wants something.”  
“I take it she’s done that often.” I raised a brow.  
“Yeah, she pulls it on Joe and Eddie as well.”  
“That’s amusing.” I smiled. We finished eating our dinner after about fifteen minutes or so. Barry offered to help clean up, but I shooed him away. “Go sit on the couch and watch something on Netflix or whatever.”  
“Fine.” He huffed.  
“Calm your tits.” I playfully whacked him. “It won’t take me long.”  
“I’m holding you to that.” With that, he stole a kiss and left before I could do anything.  
“You’re as bad as the cat!” I called after him.  
“I know!” He laughed from the living room.  
“God dammit, Barry.” I sighed. I busied myself with the dishes by washing them, rinsing them, and putting them on the rack. After a bit of time I finished and wiped the counter down. The sink was drained and I hung the washcloth up before joining Barry in the living room.  
“Finally, slowpoke.” He flashed a smile as I plopped next to him on the couch.  
“Oh, shut up.” I stuck my tongue out.  
“Nope.” He grinned.  
“I could always make you.”  
“And how do you go on about that?”  
“You’ll find out at some point.” I gave him a sly smile. Shit, that was too forward. There was a small twinkle of mischief in Barry’s eyes. I felt my face heat up. “Oh God, I’m sorry.” I buried my face behind a pillow. “That was too forward.”  
“Hey,” Barry pulled the pillow away from my face. I looked up at him. “You’re fine. It’s just been a while for you.”  
“Yeah.” I sighed. Barry wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.  
“Do you want to watch something?” He asked. He had Netflix already pulled up.  
“You can pick.” I handed him the controller. “Guest privileges.” He took a deep breath and let out a relaxed sigh.  
“I thought it was the host who got to pick.” He inquired.  
“Or this is me being a good host.” I replied. “Or letting my boyfriend being able to pick.”  
“I’m still getting used to that status.” He mused.  
“How do you think I feel?” I laughed. “I haven’t been with someone in at least six months.”  
“Touché.” He agreed, turning his attention to the Netflix queue. “You can learn a lot about someone by looking at their Netflix.”  
“Yes, you can.” I rested my head on his shoulder.  
“How I Met Your Mothers, Scrubs, House…” Barry read as he scrolled through. “Stargate, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Mystery Science Theater…hold up. The Proposal?” I blushed and sank into the couch. Barry looked down with a raised brow.  
“What?” I asked. “I like rom-coms every now and then. And Sandra Bullock is cool. I liked her in Miss Congeniality.”  
“You tell yourself that.” He smirked. “We know the real reason why.” He kept browsing. “When in Rome.” I sank lower in the couch.  
“This was a bad idea.” I groaned.  
“This was a fantastic idea.” He grinned. I shot him a look. “Ooh, if looks could kill.” Barry laughed in amusement. “Fine, I’ll stop torturing you.” He settled on Doctor Who. “You have good taste, Lewis.”  
“I try.” I sat up. Barry selected it and browsed through the episodes.  
“So many choices.” He flipped through quickly. “Which Doctor from the newer series is your favorite?”  
“It’s a tie between Ten and Eleven.” I replied. “Eccelston was great because of his sass and Capaldi for his sarcastic and dry sense of humor.” Barry turned and his mouth dropped a little. “But Tennant and Smith are way up there.”  
“Stop being so perfect.” He had a dazed expression on his face. “I have to be dreaming. This is all a dream.” I let out a repressed snort.  
“I am far from perfect.” I gave him an odd expression. “If this were a dream, you wouldn’t feel this.” I pinched him on the arm.  
“Ow!” He rubbed his arm. “Okay, I’m not dreaming. Now which episode are we watching?” I thought for a bit.  
“Vincent and the Doctor?”  
“I personally think that’s one of Smith’s best episodes” He scrolled to it. I kicked my shoes off and curled up next to him.  
“I think that is an excellent opinion.” I smiled up at him.  
“Good.” He smiled back and softly pressed his lips against my forehead. Barry pressed play and we settle in. I felt all giddy when the title sequence came on. For once, it felt good to sit comfortably on the couch and watch a geeky TV show with someone who was as equally geeky as me. Grant watched an episode every now and then, but he didn’t watch it religiously.  
“They couldn’t pick a better actor to play Van Gogh.” I mused.  
“Absolutely.” He agreed. “The writing in here is extremely well done.”  
“I’m glad someone agrees and isn’t secretly judging me.” I rested my head on his shoulder.  
“Same.” He lightly ran his fingers through my hair. We sat in silence for the most part watching the episode, occasionally making comments. I found myself interlacing my fingers with his and playing with one of his hands. As the episode continued, I found myself paying less attention to the TV and more to Barry. I could feel doing the same. His hand was caressing the back of my neck. Then tension was thick enough to cut it with a knife. Hesitantly, I looked up at him. He smiled back and pulled me towards him.  
I circled my arms around his neck and deeply kissed him. His hands slid up my back as he moved his mouth expertly over mine. Barry pulled me into his lap, kissing me deeply. He pulled back for a second.  
“I’m not going too fast, am I?” He asked.  
“No, you’re fine.” I reassured.  
No sex, Barry thought. As much as I like the idea, I don’t want to push her into it if she’s not ready. Also, isn’t it a rule to not have sex the first three months of a relationship? Why am I sweating? Barry paused for a moment and pulled his sweater off. “I swear I’m not pulling my shirt off, just my sweater.” I chuckled in amusement and helped him pull it off. Barry tossed it aside and pulled me into another kiss. My heart hammered against my chest as Barry deepened the kiss. My hands slid to his shoulders as I leaned into it. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled us on to his back so I was on top. I felt a vibrating tingle reach my lips and a soft noise escape from somewhere deep within me. I opened my mouth a little against Barry’s and he eagerly responded the same. Ever so lightly, I slid my hands down his chest and rested them on his abdomen. My fingers itched to explore beneath his shirt, but I didn’t dare to push him to make him uncomfortable.  
A high pitch ringing broke us from our trance.  
“Fucking hell.” Barry swore. I chuckled in amusement and deeply kissed him once before sitting up. Barry reached for his phone and looked at the screen with a deflated expression. “Sorry, I gotta take this.”  
“No worries.” I smiled. “Understandable.”  
“Thanks.” He smiled back and answered. “Hey, Joe.” I scooted off him and walked over to Link. “I’m at Riley’s. What do you need?” He was silent for a bit and let out a small sigh. “Yeah, I’ll be over there. Give me a bit.” He hung up and sighed.  
“Work?” I asked, walking to the couch.  
“Yeah.” He rubbed his eyes. “Joe needs me to collect evidence for a case he and Eddie are on.”  
“What kind of case? If it’s okay to ask.” I sat on the armrest.  
“A murder.” He grabbed his sweater and pulled it on.  
“Metahuman?” I asked.  
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Not sure until I look and run tests.”  
“Well then,” I softly kissed him. “go kick some ass.” Barry kissed back, smiling into it.  
“I had,” He pulled back a bit. “an amazing time.”  
“I’m glad.” I smiled. “So did I.”  
“Dinner was absolutely amazing.” He kissed me again. “And watching Doctor Who,” another kiss, “And kissing you.” He kissed deeply. “Especially kissing you.”  
“Definitely kissing you.” I agreed. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow night for sure, right?”  
“Watering Hole at eight.” He confirmed. “And you’ll be meeting Cisco and Caitlin.”  
“Awesome.” I smiled. “Now get going or Joe won’t forgive me.” I stood up and pulled him from the couch. Barry let out a groan of defeat, but he agreed. I headed towards the door and grabbed his jacket. “Good luck.” I handed it to him. Barry took it and slipped it on and cupped my face. Happiness reached his eyes as he smiled. When he released me, I was in a small daze.  
“Good night.” He smiled again.  
“G’night.” I dreamily replied. He took off, closing the door behind him.


End file.
